Mashed Potatoes
I am not a major carnivore. Of course I eat all types of meat. It is just not something I have to have to enjoy a meal. I think one of the reasons I cook steaks and roasts is just an excuse to have mashed potatoes again. You will often see chunks of meat left on my plate. You will never see any mashed potatoes laying there at the end of the meal.
I figured out a long time ago that making mashed potatoes is an iterative process. The basic potatoes are good but sometimes you just need to add a little more complexity to the spuds. Below are several versions of the potatoes. You can decide which one suits your fancy.
Basic Version
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup half and half
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water about 1/2 inch over the potatoes, add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, bring the pot to a simmer, reduce the heat allowing the potatoes to continue to simmer, put a lid on the pot allowing for a little steam to escape from the pot. The potatoes will take between 15 and 20 minutes to cook. Using a fork, after 15 minutes check to see if the fork easily pierces the potatoes. If not, cook an additional few minutes. You want the potatoes to be “fork tender” not mushy.
Using your preferred method, mine is an old wire potato masher, mash the potatoes. They should look very dry at this point. Begin adding 1/4 cup of the half and half and the butter. Using the potato masher or whisk incorporate the liquid and make sure the butter is evenly dispersed. If the potatoes seem dry and not creamy at this point keep adding half and half a little at a time to get the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to have your potatoes a bit more buttery tasting of course you can always add a little extra butter as well.
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- 2 heaping tablespoons of sour cream
Use the basic recipe as above. After adding the half and half and the butter add two heaping tablespoons of sour cream and incorporate. It makes the potatoes a little more complex. The idea is not really to taste the sour cream but to have a sour note to contrast with the butter. Be careful about too much half and half with this recipe. The sour cream acts just like a liquid when incorporated.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 1 complete head of garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peal off the outer layer of the garlic leaving the head in tact. Cut the entire head about 1/3 of way down from the top (not the root end) exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic in a roasting pan and drizzle with the olive oil making sure the individual cloves are all covered with the oil. Cook for 30 minutes. The garlic should be well browned. Allow the garlic to cool. At this point you can squeeze the garlic easily from each clove. Put all the cloves in a small bowl and mash them together making a sort of garlic paste.
Prepare the basic mashed potato recipe as above. After adding the half and half and butter add the garlic paste and incorporate throughout the potatoes. You may have to add more liquid to the potatoes with the garlic. I know this sounds like a lot of garlic but when roasted the garlic actually takes on a very mild sweet taste.
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Prepare the basic recipe as above. After adding the half and half and butter add the horseradish. Depending on how hot you want it you may want to add the horseradish slowly. I like to really taste the horseradish. These mashed potatoes go great with just about any kind of beef dish. They are a staple with prime rib at our house.
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- 4 oz grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Prepare the basic recipe as above and add the cheese after all the other ingredients have been incorporated. Making sure the cheese is mixed throughout the potatoes thoroughly. I would hold off on adding the salt until the cheese is incorporated. When done correctly there will be little strings of cheese visible when you serve the potatoes
Ultimate Mashed Potatoes
- 2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 4 oz grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
For those of you who cannot leave well enough alone this is the real deal. Add the sour cream, horseradish, and the cheese to the basic mashed potato recipe. Make sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Taste generously, making sure you leave enough mashed potatoes for the other guests. You may have noticed the absence of the garlic. I tried it. The garlic just does not go so well with the other ingredients.
All of the recipes serve four people. For larger groups the recipe is completely scalable.