VCE: Mashed Potatoes

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Mashed Potatoes

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison, page 409

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Potatoes Side Dishes

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

3 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes -- scrubbed

Salt and freshly milled pepper

4 tablespoons butter or olive oil -- up to 8

1 cup milk or cream or buttermilk -- about

OR cooking water -- warmed

1 pinch grated nutmeg

 

Makes about 6 cups

 

An old adage says that starchier varieties make the lightest, fluffiest

potatoes. In general this is true, although I've made divine mashed

potatoes with spuds just one or two days from the field. The liquid that

thins the potatoes can be the water they're cooked in, low-fat milk, whole

milk, or cream. If you like a little tartness, try buttermilk. Leftovers

are endlessly useful. Pipe them over a vegetable stew to make a shepherd's

pie; form them into cakes and fry until golden on both sides; dilute them

with water or stock to make a soup; or use them in bread and biscuits.

 

Don't peel the potatoes - the peels give flavor to the cooking water. Put

the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, add 2 teaspoons

salt, and boil until tender, 15 to 30 minutes depending on size. Remove

the potatoes from the water, reserving the water for soup, bread, or

thinning the potatoes. Holding the potatoes in a towel, peel them, then

break them into chunks and mash with an old-fashioned potato masher, a

handheld mixer, a food mill with large holes, or a ricer. (The food

processor makes them gluey.) Beat in as much butter as you want to use -

potatoes can absorb an infinite amount. Gradually beat in the warm liquid

until the potatoes are smooth, moist, and light. Season with salt, pepper,

and nutmeg. It's best to serve them right away, for they become stiff once

cooled. If you must, hold them in a double boiler or a bowl set over a pan

of simmering water and covered loosely with foil.

 

Saffron Mashed Potatoes: Crumble two hearty pinches saffron threads into a

few tablespoons of warm cooking water and steep for 5 minutes. Add it to

the potatoes along with the warm liquid.

 

Mashed Potatoes with Basil Purée: Serve mashed potatoes with Basil Purée

(see separate recipe), drizzled over them. Or just before serving, stir

1/2 cup purée into the potatoes, leaving it streaked with green.

 

Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic: Roast one or two large heads of garlic

until tender. Squeeze out the softened garlic and stir into the potatoes.

 

Mashed Potatoes with Herbs and Olive Oil: Add to the cooking water a bay

leaf, a few slices onion, 6 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and several thyme

sprigs. Peel and mash the potatoes, using olive oil in place of butter and

thinning them with the reserved liquid. At the end, stir in 2 tablespoons

chopped herbs-parsley, thyme, rosemary, or sage.

 

Mashed Potatoes with Root Vegetables: Replace half the potatoes with

turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, fennel, or celery root, and your mashed

potatoes will have a lot more character. Peel and chop the vegetables into

large pieces and cook together with the potatoes. Mash, using the cooking

water, and finish with butter or olive oil.

 

 

 

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