I suggest you pick up a cook book. Often times, churches will sell them as fund raisers. Various members of the church contribute their favorite recipies, and they publish a book and sell it for like $10, etc. I'm sure you can find some web sites with recipies on the internet too.
For mashed potatoes, most people peel the potatoes (I personally don't, but I was the skins off and rub them with a brush under the water to remove any dirt - I happen to like the potatoe skin taste, most people don't). I should say they peel the skin off of the potatoes. This is done with a tool called a "peeler" (used mostly for potatoes, sometimes carrots or cucumbers).
slice potatoes into chunks about the size of a large man's thumb (stictly speaking, not truely necessary, but if you cut them up they will cook faster). Place them in water (compeletly covered in water) in a pot. Bring the water to a boil.
Drain the water off. You now need a kitchen utensil (tool) called a "potatoe masher". You will find a number of different models at the store - people argue over which kind works best. All of them, however, work.
Add some milk (and I add a little bit of butter to), and begin mashing them. Push the masher down, smashing the potatoes. Pick it up again and smash them in some other part of the pot. Occasionally "stir" the potatoes a bit with the masher to make sure that there aren't any unmashed bits here or there.
I typically start with a little less milk that I think I need, and mash them a little, add a little more milk and mash them some more. Different people have different opinions about how mashed up they should be (some like them a bit firmer, some more creamy - add more milk/butter). You're probably looking for something similar to refried beans, in terms consistancy. It is your husband who you are trying to please - show it to him and ask him "is this good or do you like it creamer?" Maybe you can even get him to mash them or show you how, etc.
Here's the thing though - one doesn't just serve mashed potatoes. Typically one servers them with gravy. Gravy is made from the juices of some meat (beef, chicken, turky - few people however make it from pork). You mix in flower with the jucies and cook it until it thickens. Most people find it hard not to have "lumps" in the gravy (spots where there is a lot of flower). It takes a little practice. You can buy gravy, canned, at the store (kind of expensive), or you can buy it powdered (add water - follow the directions on the package / jar).
It is kind of hard to describe all of this. It's easier to learn when someone shows you. Does he have relatives (mother, sister, etc.) who would be willing to get together with you and show you some of the family recipies? Do you have any American friends who would be willing to teach you? It could be a lot of fun. Maybe they would like you to teach them how to cook some of your dishes?