A volcano you can eat? Let's mash it, mash it, mash it into a Mashed Potato Volcano! This easy recipe is for ages 6 to 14 (grades 1st–8th), takes about 40 minutes and serves 4. Crumb, our tiny chef, reads every step aloud with a picture, so a child can follow along, and every hot or sharp step is marked for a grown-up.
Mashing is the Thanksgiving job kids ask for: once the potatoes are cooked, a child can do every step, as long as a grown-up has done the peeling, cutting, boiling and draining. Waiting a few minutes for the steam to calm down keeps little faces safe.
Ingredients
4 potatoes
3 tablespoons butter (or oil)
½ cup milk (or oat milk)½ cup (120 ml) milk (or oat milk)
½ teaspoon salt
Tools
A cutting board, A sharp knife (grown-up), A big pot, The stove (grown-up), A colander, A mixing bowl, A potato masher, Measuring cups, Measuring spoons, A big spoon, A plate.
Steps
Wash your hands with soap for twenty seconds, then let's make a mashed potato volcano!
Scrub 4 potatoes under cold water to wash off the dirt.
Grown-up step: A grown-up peels the potatoes and cuts them into chunks the size of an egg.
Drop the chunks into the cold pot, then pour in cold water to cover them.
Grown-up step: A grown-up boils them on the stove for 15 to 20 minutes, till a fork slides in easily.
Grown-up step: A grown-up drains them in the colander and tips them into the big bowl.
Wait 3 minutes for the steam to calm down.
Drop in 3 tablespoons of butter. Watch it melt!
Pour in ½ cup of milk.Pour in ½ cup (120 ml) of milk.
Sprinkle in ½ teaspoon of salt.
Mash, mash, mash until the lumps are gone!
Spoon a mountain onto your plate and poke a crater in the top. It's a volcano!
Safety notes
Sharp! A grown-up does this part.
Hot! A grown-up does this part.
Contains milk. Tap "Allergies?" on the Kitchen's front page and the swaps fill themselves in where there is one.
Kitchen science
Cooking softens the glue between a potato's tiny cells, so when you press down they slide apart into fluffy mash.
Make it your own
Fill the crater with a spoonful of melted butter for lava.
Mash in a handful of grated cheese for cheesy mash.
Leave the skins on for rustic, lumpy mash.
Questions about mashed potatoes
Which potatoes make the best mashed potatoes?
Floury potatoes such as russets make fluffy mash; Yukon Golds make creamy, buttery-tasting mash. Both work here.
Can a young child mash potatoes?
Yes, once they've cooled for a few minutes. A grown-up holds the bowl still while the child pushes the masher straight down.
Can I make mashed potatoes dairy-free?
Tap "Allergies?" and pick milk: the recipe uses oil for the butter and oat milk for the milk.