The Spud Alex Guarnaschelli Wouldn't Use For Mashed Potatoes

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There are endless mashed potato recipes out there, each one cozier than the next. While the dish is technically pretty simple — usually mashed, cooked starchy potatoes with various dairy ingredients, salt, and pepper — some cooks feel strongly about their particular preparation method. Take it from chef Alex Guarnaschelli, who's given great thought to which type of potato is best to use for the iconic side. Surprisingly, Yukon potatoes are at the bottom of her list.

"Yukon Gold: juicy, yellow flesh, holds its shape really well when you cook it," she explained in an Instagram video. "They have a really good, sweet, sturdy flesh," she explains, which is why she prefers to roast them or use them to make gnocchi. "Some people like to use these for mashed potatoes. I don't," she says definitively. This is somewhat controversial, as a number of prominent chefs and cooks (including Martha Stewart and Marcus Samuelsson) prefer Yukon potatoes for the beloved accompaniment.

Nonetheless, she later adds that she "really likes the taste" of Yukon Gold potatoes. "They're sweeter. These Yukons are like, kinda nuttier and really good. They're almost like a hazelnut," she opines. In addition to roasting them or turning them into gnocchi, Guarnaschelli also prefers Yukon Golds for potato salad, likely due to their tender texture and waxy consistency that allows the dressing to absorb without turning the potatoes to mush.

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Alex Guarnaschelli feels red potatoes are the best for frying, but she's partial to russets for mashed potatoes. "This is a white-flesh potato: drier, flakier, falls apart more," she argues in her Instagram post. "This is ... a classic baking potato ... I would use it for mashed potatoes ... This is your all-purpose russet." Versus Yukons, she feels russets are "more neutral," and she adores their earthy skin.

Her fans were split, vouching for one type or supporting both. "Yukon, and it ain't even close!" one Instagram viewer commented. "I'm team russet," said another. "I love them both for different purposes," said a third. A few folks say their preference for Yukons is courtesy of their "buttery," "creamy" nature, while others like russets for baked potatoes, stuffing, and fries specifically.

Guarnaschelli has many mashed potato recipes, ranging from simple Idaho spuds teeming with butter to "Chantilly" mashed russets topped with Parmesan and panko. One interesting tip of hers, apart from what type of potato to use, is to bake potatoes instead of boiling them before mashing. "When potatoes are watery ... they taste like water. We want these to taste like potatoes," she explained in a Facebook video. FYI, Guarnaschelli doesn't poke holes in her baked potatoes before cooking them either, so she's a culinary rebel, depending on who you ask.