the opinions of the author of the article notwithstanding, I almost never make mashed potates from scratch anymore, and my home-made ones are pretty fabulous, according to my family. they are even when they're not home-made, and I really defy anyone to tell the difference.

the secret is in not following the directions on the instant potato package, and doctoring them with the same ingredients that I put in my "from scratch" ones:

for liquid, I use 1/2 water and 1/2 evaporated milk. once it just comes to boil, I add the instant (and only Ore-Ida) potatoes, a bit more per serving than the package calls for. after mixing with a fork, add about 3 times more butter (not margarine! only real butter!) than called for. then add enough room-temperature evaporated milk to make them creamy, and finish it all off with white pepper to taste.

voilà. rich, savory, slightly lumpy - and no work at all. throw away the box, and no one can tell the difference. seriously.