Fail-Proof Mashed Potatoes

Recipe by Executive Chef Robert Stricklin of The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks.

Ingredients
4 pounds Russet potatoes
Kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
Freshly ground black pepper 

To Prepare
1. Peel the potatoes, and cut them into 1-inch pieces. 

2. Place potatoes into a pot of cold water. Add a big pinch of salt, and place the pot over high heat. 

3. When it comes to a boil, cook the potatoes until just cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. 

4. Once potatoes are finished cooking, drain them in a colander, then place them back in the pot and let them dry out over low heat. (The potatoes absorb water, too, and this dries the water back out.) 

5. In a small pot over low heat, add the milk and butter. Heat until the butter melts. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher and break up lumps, and season with salt and pepper.