I'm a chef - this is the best way to cook mashed potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a cornerstone of comfort food dishes, as well as being the perfect autumnal accompaniment. While there are many different methods for making the smoothest mash, self-professed Potato Queen and chef Poppy O'Toole has revealed the best way to cook your mash - and you won't need anything fancy.

In a recent YouTube video, Poppy puts to the test three different methods of mash; one expert Michelin-star recipe, an intermediate level using her own recipe, and a cheat's easy level using instant mashed potatoes. Having whipped up a mash recipe with a technique made famous by legendary chef Joel Robuchon, which uses a specific type of potato (La Ratte), she scored the Michelin dish 8.9 out of 10. However, pipping it to the post was her signature mash recipe.

This recipe is her "go-to" and doesn't need any expensive ingredients. Poppy used the humble Maris Piper for her mashed potatoes, known for their high starch content.

To help the mash achieve that smooth texture, Poppy adds in a small amount of butter before adding a secret ingredient. While some people use milk to help with the consistency, Poppy uses hot double cream.

To help reduce the amount of graininess in the mash, Poppy recommended popping the potatoes through a sieve with some butter. She described the 'intermediate' level mash as: "There you have it, this is our intermediate mash. Delicious, pale, fluffy, buttery, creamy... I am a double cream kind of person. This is my go-to."

She continued: "I'm also excited about this delicious mashed potato cause I do, I do love mashed potato. And intermediate for me is just my go-to, delicious recipe... It's super fluffy.

"It's got this beautiful texture of, like, savoury marshmallow fluff, perfect for mashed potato. Definitely what you want to dunk your gravy into.

"It's still got that lovely potato-y flavour, very subtle, creamy, buttery. Completely smooth and fluffy but holds its shape."

Poppy scored the mashed potato a respectable nine out of ten. She said: "I think it should be the go-to for everybody."

Here's how you can recreate Poppy's go-to mash at home.

Ingredients

• Maris Piper potatoes
• Salt
• Double cream
• Butter, cubed
• Chives, chopped

Method

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm rounds. Place the potatoes into a saucepan with cold water, heavily seasoning with salt.

Cook on the hob for between 10 to 15 minutes, making sure the water is boiling until tender. You can test by poking a knife through the potato and see if the potatoes fall off the knife when poked.

Once cooked, drain away the water and pour the potatoes into a colander. Cover the colander with a clean tea towel and allow the potatoes to dry for five to 10 minutes.

Heat the double cream in a saucepan over, and cube the butter. When the potatoes are dry, pour them into a sieve over a pan.

Pop in the cubes of butter and push through the sieve with a spatula. Follow by pouring the warm cream into the pan.

Stir a couple of times to bring the mixture together. Top with a sprinkling of chives and salt.

Serve along with your dinner of choice, or eat by itself.