Can I mash the potatoes by hand or does this dish really benefit from use of the mixer or ricer? Loathe to clean another appliance...

I actually prefer thick and chunky mashed potatoes, so I always use a pastry cutter to mash potatoes. But that's just to suite my own taste.

Potatoes mashed with a ricer are so delicious that you would clean 10 appliances just to have them in your mouth.

An yes, I too tried the food processor years ago, the result being potatoes that would have made great wall paper paste. I'll dig out the ricer - thanks for your help.

Sorry but I always use a ricer for mashed potatoes, personal preference as it makes the potatoes very light and lump free. When I was a young cook, in my early twenties and very naive I used a food processor for mashed potatoes and the gluten was awful. After that, I made it my business to find a way to make potatoes that weren't "gloppy"....ergo enter the ricer.