Issues → January/February 2008 → Food →
Mashed Potatoes: Easy Does It
One recipe and seven mix-ins
by Annie B. Copps
Everyone loves mashed potatoes, right? But how many of us love our own mashed potatoes? Whether they're too lumpy or too soggy, or we like the taste but they're laden with butter, sour cream, and milk, there's always room for improvement.
Potatoes are greedy little things, and they'll take as many rich additives as you offer them, but here's a recipe that'll keep things simple and balanced. One key to light and fluffy potatoes is to get rid of the excess moisture -- so read the recipe steps carefully and you'll breathe new life into an old favorite.
Do the Mashed Potato
Want to add a twist to your spuds? Here are some tasty extras:
1. Toss peeled parsnips, chopped turnips, or a few handfuls of cauliflower florets in with boiled potatoes and mash according to the recipe below.
2. Mince 3 or 4 garlic cloves and sauté in unsalted butter; fold into mashed potatoes with salt and pepper. (Bonus tip: To peel a whole garlic head easily, wrap in foil and bake 40 minutes at 400° the next time your oven's on; the cloves will slip out of their paper skins.)
3. Add 4 tablespoons prepared (jar) horseradish or 3 tablespoons freshly grated.
4. Mix in 1/2 cup minced chives or scallions.
5. Crumble 4 strips of cooked bacon and add them with 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (you won't need extra salt).
6. The Irish have long loved a dish called colcannon: bacon and cabbage mixed with mashed potatoes. Chop 1/2 pound bacon into half-inch pieces and sauté until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add 1/2 head cabbage, sliced, to the pan and saute; until wilted. Fold cabbage and bacon into mashed potatoes. Or make champ, another traditional Irish dish, by adding green onions to the cream and butter as they're heating.
7. Leftovers? Form them into 3-inch rounds (like little hockey pucks -- in shape only!), dust with flour, and pan-fry until well browned on both sides.
Click here for five more potato recipes
RECIPE
Basic Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes Recipes
Yield: 6 servings
- 3 pounds baking potatoes (such as russets), peeled (or red bliss potatoes, unpeeled)
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) light cream
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut potatoes into 2-inch pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook potatoes until fork-tender. Drain well; then place them back in the warm pot. Swirl the cooked potatoes around the pot, until a thin film of starch appears.
In a small pan, heat cream and butter until butter melts. Pass potatoes through a ricer or food mill, or break up with a potato masher until smooth. Add heated cream and butter; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Reader Comments
Comment from nancy lehtonen on February 18, 2008
my grandparents were Irish immigrants. Perhaps thats why all things that begin with the word "potato" sound so good to me! Can't wait to try all these delicious sounding recipes!!
Comment from Bonnie Arnold on February 18, 2008
Bring a 3 oz block of cream cheese to room temperature and cut into 1/2 " dice. Mash into potatoes with the cream and butter for the ultimate in smooth, rich, and delicious mashed potatoes.
Comment from Jeanine Van Voorhees on February 18, 2008
My daughter makes a colcannon potato dish and adds cheddar cheese. Wonderful dish!!!
Comment from Edward Duern on February 18, 2008
I love potatoes in any shape or form. Here is an add in to mashed that my family and I particularly like. When adding the cream and butter, as in the basic recipe above, add 2tbs butter milk powder.
Comment from Vicki Matthews on February 19, 2008
Adding sour cream in lew of a bit of the milk along with or without a tsp or so of Dry Ranch Dressing is also a plus.
Comment from jeanne moran on February 19, 2008
Haven't tried the potatoes yet, but I love Yankee Magazine and all it has to offer. Will let you know how I enjoy the "addtions" to my simple-mashed-potatoes........many thanks!
Comment from Mary Pennoyer on February 20, 2008
You want the best mashed potatoes try adding a Tablespoon of mayo. Nice taste and makes is fluffer. Really enjoy your magazine. Of course I'm a Maine Yankee. Thanks for the ideas.
Comment from Claudia Kapinos on February 24, 2008
Adding flavored cream cheese (for example garlic or chive) and whipping into the basic mashed potatoes is a tasty dish.
Comment from Laura Reese on March 4, 2008
My favorite potato fix is mashed garlic and plain yogurt. A few dashes of seasoned salt whipped in tops it off well, and there are fewer calories than all the butter and cream!
Comment from Dorothy Duffy on March 4, 2008
I absolutely loved potatoes before I married an Irishman. My German mother-in-law introduced me to potatoes and rutabaga which was served with her German style pot roast (with cider vinegar). Both were cooked separately until fork tender then mashed together without adding any liquid - not even milk. Just lots of butter, salt and pepper. I learned to love turnips this way. And I make potato patties with leftover mashed potatoes. I fry them in bacon fat or butter until they are nicely browned on each side. Yep, high fat content.
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