Peel and dice potatoes into evenly sized pieces. Place potatoes in a large stockpot and fill with water that comes 1 inch above the top of the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the potato water and bring to a boil.
Boil potatoes until they pierce easily with a fork (about 10 minutes after water reaches a full rolling boil.) Transfer potatoes to a colander and leave them to drain.
Meanwhile, place butter, cream, white pepper, and salt in the hot pan. Whisk to combine over medium heat, until the butter melts and the mixture is warm. Turn off heat.
Use a ricer to finely mash the cooked potato pieces directly into the cream mixture. Gently stir to combine into smooth, fluffy mashed potatoes. Do not overmix or the mashed potatoes will be heavy and have a gluey consistency.
Notes
Store mashed potatoes in a covered container in the refrigerator. Reheat and consume within 3 days for the best flavor and texture.Heavy cream and a full stick of butter makes rich, delicious mashed potatoes. You can reduce the amount of butter and/or substitute whole milk or 2% milk for a lighter option. It is important to salt the potato water so that the potatoes are well seasoned while cooking. You can omit the extra salt in the cream mixture until you taste the finished mashed potatoes and then add more salt if needed at that time.Use a ricer for super smooth mashed potatoes, just like KFC. KFC uses potato flakes in their mashed potatoes recipe, but we like to use fresh potatoes. Using a potato ricer eliminates all lumps, and it also keeps them from becoming overly starchy. Gluey potatoes occur when beaten with a hand mixer or standing mixer. If you do not have a ricer, use a potato masher and mash by hand.