Subject: TASTY Mashed Potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: miles (milescheifetz at gmail.com)
Date: 18 Jul 2006 04:20:59 -0700
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Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for mashed potatoes? I did them yesterday for the first time (!), and I boiled the potatoes, drained the water, added salt, milk and marg., then mashed them, but they were still fairly flavourless. My work colleague suggests adding chopped onions. Are there any other ingredients I haven't thought of that would transform them to become a taste sensation? After all, I think almost everybody loves mashed potatoes!
Miles,
Sydney.
From: Chatty Cathy (cathy1234 at mailinator.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:37:49 +0200
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Try these. I am sure you will enjoy!
Parmesan-Prosciutto Mashed Potatoes
http://www.recfoodcooking.com/sigs/Damsel%20in%20dis%20Dress/Parmesan-Prosciutto%20Mashed%20Potatoes.html
From: kilikini (kilikiniSPAM at tampabay.rr.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:42:02 GMT
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I always use real butter and lots of it. I think it helps add to the flavor. It also depends upon the type of potato you used.
Other ideas for mashed potatoes would be:
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Mashed Potatoes
Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
That's about all I can think of at the moment. Use your imagination!
From: Andy (q)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 06:43:12 -0500
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Mike,
Don't forget to heat up the milk before adding it in.
I add cream cheese, usually equal to the amount of butter and lessen the amount of milk accordingly. That and a good pinch or three of white pepper.
From: Nancy Young (qwerty at monmouth.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 08:07:25 -0400
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Andy wrote:
> I add cream cheese, usually equal to the amount of butter and lessen the
> amount of milk accordingly. That and a good pinch or three of white
> pepper.
That sounds great. Also, and though I think it's become hackneyed, I do like to add roasted garlic sometimes. It's a nice flavor, though just plain old mashed potatoes with milk, butter, salt and pepper are A OK by me.
From: Richard Green (richardgsemail at bigpond.net.au)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:07:26 GMT
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Miles asked...............
> Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
> mashed potatoes?
For Foolproof Fabulous Mash:
I grew up in a 1950's household where dinner included at least 2 boiled (to death) vegetables and *always* mashed potatoes. It was my job to make the mashed potatoes (my brother was relegated to the washing up, he he he) and, as an expert, I know that the secret to good mashed potatoes is lots of salt and pepper, and butter, and also to get as much air into them as possible - hence I mash the spuds with a fork (you could use a masher) - and never leave ONE lump "-) and then add a significant amount of butter - maybe 3 tablespoons for 4 or 5 potatoes, freshly ground pepper and a teaspoon or so of sea salt. Then add milk in SMALL amounts, whipping as you go until you get the desired consistency. You will find the spuds absorb the milk as you whisk and you will need to add more, but don't add it all at once or you will have potato soup. When all the milk has been incorporated, keep whipping like mad with the fork (or I suppose you could use a whisk) and they will become lighter and fluffier. I whip them in the cooking pot to retain the heat, and save on washing up.
From: Peter A (paitken at CRAPnc.rr.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:31:50 GMT
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Skip the margarine, use butter. Use half and half or cream instead of milk. Some people use chicken stock for the liquid. Add some white pepper. Mashed potatoes are pretty basic and should taste like potatoes mostly. Did you use the right kind of spuds - russets?
From: Jude (JudeNev at cox.net)
Date: 18 Jul 2006 14:23:01 -0700
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Peter A wrote:
> Skip the margarine, use butter. Use half and half or cream instead of
> milk. Some people use chicken stock for the liquid.
I'm with Peter....I boil the potatoes in stock instead of water. I find this adds a good flavor to the potatoes before I even mash them, and I can cut down on the salt added later.
From: Pandora (mirybranca at alice.it)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:50:11 +0200
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For a good "purée" you have to put: butter instead of margarine, nutmeg (important for the flavour), and reggiano cheese.
From: Rich (joshew at hawaii.rr.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:08:51 GMT
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If you want really tasty, and are willing to throw health considerations to the winds, add way-too-much butter and heavy cream. That's what the French chef's who are famous for their mashed potatoes do. Two parts mashed potato to one part butter is not uncommon. Of course you also have to get the details of making mashed potatoes right. Start them in cold, salted water, and then apply the heat. If you don't cook them with salt, you'll never get them properly seasoned later. "Mash" them by putting them through a ricer or a food mill. The hand-held masher/stompers will never get all the lumps out, and using any kind of power equipment will work up the proteins in the potatoes and turn them to glue. Season with fresh-ground white pepper. For even more flavor, substitute sour cream or cream cheese for part of the cream. Five or six cloves of roasted garlic can be run through the food mill with the potatoes, too.
From: LT (sirspee599 at earthlink.net)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:59:44 GMT
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There is no sortage of mashed potato receipes around.. IME, a lot has to do with the potato selected and the method of cooking. I like to use russets and sometimes add one or two Yukon gold's just to be funky. Cook skin on, then peel and do your mashing/additions. The basics are whole milk or half and half (never skimmed), butter and S&P. Mash as you like. Lots, or just a little. This should give you a pretty good plain MP. Then add what you like. garlic, onion, chives, cheese... whatever. (I like them just plain, with entry gravy or extra butter)
Dang, I think I gained a pound just typing that out.
From: Marge (lawruggiero at mindspring.com)
Date: 18 Jul 2006 08:50:39 -0700
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we make them with butter, a mix of buttermilk and whole milk (salt and pepper). The buttermilk will add to the saltiness, so I'd add most the salt for taste after the buttermilk. We thought just using buttermilk tasted a little too sour.
simple but very tasty. we pretty much stick to idahos, good mashing potato.
From: Ken Davey (QYNLZMTZBOQZ at spammotel.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 09:11:28 -0700
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Marge wrote:
> we make them with butter, a mix of buttermilk and whole milk (salt and
> pepper). The buttermilk will add to the saltiness, so I'd add most
> the salt for taste after the buttermilk. We thought just using
> buttermilk tasted a little too sour.
Try (a generous amount) of sour cream instead of butter. Adjust the milk (and salt) accordingly.
From: Jimmy (WilliansWalker at hotmail.com)
Date: 18 Jul 2006 09:13:06 -0700
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Drain spuds. Add some warm milk/cream. Add butter. Add egg yolk. Add some salt(if desired) add white pepper(i actually use black but i don't care about the little black specks in there; some people do) add nutmeg to taste.
From: King's Crown (qoe at earthlink.net)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:30:21 GMT
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Boil them with some garlic. Then mash the garlic up with the potatoes.
Lynne
From: aem (aem_again at yahoo.com)
Date: 18 Jul 2006 10:55:49 -0700
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miles wrote:
> Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
> mashed potatoes? I did them yesterday for the first time (!), and I
Since it's your first time, let's talk technique rather than added flavorings/ingredients. Boil the potatoes and drain them, check. Now put them back on the stove, partly covered, on the unlit but still warm burner for five minutes. That lets them dry out a little. Meanwhile warm the milk (microwave is easiest). Now use your wire potato masher using only up and down strokes, adding salt and pepper as you break up the potatoes well. (Potatoes want a lot of salt. The most likely suspect for yours being "fairly flavourless" is too little salt.) Now add ample butter and begin stirring with a wooden spoon. When it has mostly been incorporated begin adding the milk. First add about half of it, stir round and round with the spoon, then add the rest in small bits, whipping more vigorously with the spoon, until the potatoes reach your desired consistency. Don't use an electric mixer unless you're forced to because the quantity is so large. The potatoes can become gummy/pasty before you realize you've overbeaten them. In fact, the best thing to do when quantities are too large for whipping with a wooden spoon is to use a ricer. When they've been put through the ricer the spoon will be sufficient for the task.
As to additional flavorings/ingredients, standards are garlic, roasted garlic, cream, sour cream, chives, bits of bacon. When you start adding cooked onions and varous cheeses you've crossed over into the land of potato casseroles, not just mashed potatoes. We most often eat plain mashed potatoes with chicken or beef gravy. Second most often is with roasted garlic. -aem
From: Richard Green (richardgsemail at bigpond.net.au)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:22:17 GMT
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Aem said:
"let's talk technique.....lets them dry out a little......The most likely suspect for yours being "fairly flavourless" is too little salt"........
I'm not a salt junkie, but potatoes need salt - really brings out the flavour. Potatoes without salt are as bad as bread made without salt. Try sea salt. You do want to dry them out before mashing, any residual water will make it harder to get rid of all the little lumps, and it'll dilute the flavour. Some folk roast the potatoes whole, scoop out the flesh and then mash, but this seems too anal, although I guess you get to snack on the grilled skins later.
Avoid using a food processor - you'll end up with a potato flavoured glue cause insufficient air is incorporated.
From: Jke (morethangroups at hotmail.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:50:50 +0200
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I find it important to use potatoes with a good flavor - which will be personal decision based on taste and availbalitiy. Then, cooking them *in the skins* and peeling them afterwards will retain maximum flavor. The drawbacl is the taters will cool down because they need to be peeled and thus will need to be reheated. Not a problem if you choose to bake the mash, or keep it warm in the oven.
Duting the mashing, more butter means more flavor. I find mash also requires quite a bit of asalt, but using freshly milled pepper can reduce the need for salt. I always add nutmeg at the very end.
I use hot milk as then liquid, but buttermilk, cream, stock can also be used. Some people add an egg yolk, or a whole egg. Even mayo.
Ricers add more air/fluffiness than mashers.
Mahs can take all kinds of flavoring.s
If you're going to bake it (easy for keeping it warm), add just a touch more liquid than you'd need otherweise, to compensate for dehydration in the oven. Top with bread crumbs and bits of butter for a wonderful crsut.
I'd preheat the oven for 180 Celsius for proerpe, lengtheir baking, and maybe 150 Celsius for keeping ti warm until serving. It's ready when the curst looks right.
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:50:38 -0500
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miles wrote:
>Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
>mashed potatoes?
These are fantabulous! Heaven on a fork.
Parmesan-Prosciutto Mashed Potatoes
Recipe By: Carol Peterson (Damsel)
Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time: 0:45
Categories: Potatoes, Side Dishes
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes -- peeled and cubed
3 cloves garlic -- peeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces prosciutto -- thinly sliced, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup milk -- or more if needed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese -- freshly grated
freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1. Cook potatoes and garlic in large pot of boiling water until potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return potatoes and garlic to same pot.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped prosciutto and thyme and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add prosciutto mixture and 3/4 cup milk to potatoes and garlic. Mash well, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls if potatoes are dry. Mix in 1/2 cup cheese. Season with pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Stir over low heat to rewarm, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls, if desired.) Transfer potatoes to bowl. Sprinkle lightly with 2 tablespoons cheese; serve.
Source:
https://www.epicurious.com/
Copyright: Adapted from Bon Appétit, November 1998
Yield: 4 cups
From: Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to send (mmeahan at TRASHsonic.net)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 14:14:41 -0700
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miles wrote:
> Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
> mashed potatoes? I did them yesterday for the first time (!), and I
> boiled the potatoes, drained the water, added salt, milk and marg.,
> then mashed them, but they were still fairly flavourless. My work
You forgot the pepper.
From: azazello at koroviev.de (Victor Sack)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:57:09 +0200
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miles wrote:
> Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
> mashed potatoes?
Here is a recipe for the famous mashed potatoes by Joël Robuchon. It is from _Simply French_ by Patricia Wells, complete with her comments.
I've made it once and it was probably the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, not excluding those I got served at Robuchon's restaurant. I won't make them again, though - no matter the result - as the effort is really disproportionate.... YMMV.
Potato Purée
Purée de Pommes de Terre
Ever homey, ever elegant, ever irresistible, this is the dish that helped make chef Robuchon's reputation. Clever man that he is, he realized early on that if you give people potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes, they'll be eternally grateful, forever fulfilled. These are, of course, no ordinary mashed potatoes, but a purée that is softened with an avalanche of butter and mellowed with bubbly boiling milk. The quantity of butter and milk needed for a successfully silken and satiny purée will vary according to the potatoes and the season. Early-season potatoes will be firmer, demanding more butter and milk for a perfectly soft, almost fluffy purée.
The keys here are potatoes of uniform size (so they are uniformly cooked), and a strong arm for drying the potatoes with a flat wooden spatula. Be sure that the butter is well chilled, for it will help make a finer, smoother purée. Also follow the proportions of salt to water when cooking the potatoes: You won't be able to make up for it with additional salt at the end. I agree, this is a lot of work for a simple potato purée. But once you taste the results, you'll agree that your labor has been pleasantly rewarded. For exceptionally rich potatoes, the quantity of butter may be doubled.
EQUIPMENT: A food mill; a flat fine-mesh (drum) sieve
2 pounds potatoes, such as Idaho Russets
3/4 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk
About 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into pieces
Sea salt to taste
1. Scrub the potatoes, but do not peel them. Place the potatoes in a large pot, add salted water (1 tablespoon salt per quart of water) to cover by at least 1 inch. Simmer, uncovered, over moderate heat until a knife inserted into a potato comes away easily, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes as soon as they are cooked. (If they are allow to cool in the water, the potatoes will end up tasting reheated.)
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over high heat. Set aside.
3. As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them. Pass the potatoes through the finest grid of a food mill into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan set over low heat. With a wooden spatula, stir the potatoes vigorously to dry them, 4 to 5 minutes. Now begin adding about 12 tablespoons of the butter, little by little, stirring vigorously after each batch of butter is thoroughly incorporated; the mixture should be fluffy and light. Then slowly add about three fourths of the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring vigorously until the milk is thoroughly incorporated.
4. Pass the mixture through a flat fine-mesh (drum) sieve into another heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir vigorously, and if the puree seems a bit heavy and stiff, add additional butter and milk, stirring all the while. Note: few of us have a real French flat bottomed screen for scraping potato puree. Simply use any mesh sieve you have in the kitchen and press down on the potato puree as you push it through the sieve. This second step of puréeing is the true secret behind Chef Robuchon's recipe. Taste for seasoning. (The purée may be made up to 1 hour in advance. Place in the top of a double boiler, uncovered over simmering water. Stir occasionally to keep smooth.)
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
From: ad.rast.7 at nwnotlink.NOSPAM.com (Alex Rast)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 23:20:49 -0000
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As everybody else says: use butter instead of margarine. This is critical. Use a LOT, too. For 2 kg/4.5 lbs potatoes I would probably use 250g/1/2 lb butter. Some use even more, up to 500g/1 lb butter for the same amount.
But in fact even more critical is to use good potatoes. And it's not really enough to select by variety, even though yes, some varieties are better than others. There seem to be 2 camps on variety, either Russet (which is very mealy and produces very fluffy potatoes, although it can be rather bland) or Yukon Gold (waxier, more flavourful). I prefer Yukon Gold. But still, there are good Yukon Golds, grown by specific farmers who either have the luck to be on the perfect plot of land or who are very specific about how they grow them, and not-so-good ones. Not-so-good happens in many ways - e.g. an el-cheapo bulk-brand Yukon Gold might simply be bland. Others might be old - they could have been good to start with but have spent too long in storage. Or they might be out of season (it's not a good bet to expect good potatoes in, for example, March, unless you're in the Southern hemisphere). So in the end it's about selectivity.
For example in my area (Seattle) there is a particular farm that I buy my mashing potatoes from without fail. They have easily the best of the Yukon Golds in the state - and it's clear I'm not the only one with this opinion because they're extremely popular with local high-end restaurants. If OTOH I were using Russets (which I buy for baking) there is a different farm I would buy from and once again they're the best for that type. The growing environment each potato is happiest with is different, so that for example in Washington the best of the waxy/all purpose potatoes (such as Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, Red Norland, etc.. grow in Western WA while the best of the mealy potatoes (e.g. Russet) grow in Eastern WA. A similar pattern will probably prevail where you are. Different potatoes, different farms. In any case, take some time to track down the good farms and this will mean an enormous difference in outcome.
From: sunshine (kd_sunshine at NULLexcite.com)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:15:40 -0400
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My dad has taken to adding horseradish. The following recipe comes from horseradish.org
Enjoy!
~Shannon
HORSERADISH MASHED POTATOES
Servings: 6-8
6 MEDIUM POTATOES, PEELED AND CUBED
1/4 CUP BUTTER OR MARGARINE, MELTED
3/4 TEASPOON SALT
1/8 TEASPOON PEPPER
1/2 CUP SOUR CREAM
2 TABLESPOONS PREPARED HORSERADISH
1 TEASPOON DILL WEED
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender.
Add butter, salt, pepper and dill weed.
Whip with an electric mixer.
Add sour cream and horseradish.
Add milk if the potatoes mixture is too stiff.
Mix well.
Serve immediately.
From: Terry Pulliam Burd (ntpulliam at spaminator.net)
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 18:10:40 -0700
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miles rummaged among random neurons and opined:
>Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
>mashed potatoes?
Oh, yeah:
Chantilly Potatoes
4 whole potatoes; quartered
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with butter and 1/4 cup cream. Season with salt and pepper. Whip the remaining 1/4 cup cream until stiff. Spread mashed potatoes in a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Spread whipped cream over the mashed potatoes; sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 475 degrees until the cheese melts and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Contributor: Elizabeth Powell
Yield: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 1:30
Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA
"Most vigitaryans I iver see looked enough like their food to be classed as cannybals."
Finley Peter Dunne (1900)
From: pfoley (pfoley6 at hotmail.com)
Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:05:52 GMT
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If you did not add milk, then I would call what you made smashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes has a little milk added. I find that you have to use lots of pepper and some salt to get it to taste good plus butter melted into it, but key with me is the pepper.
From: MG (whoever at whereever.com)
Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 14:32:17 GMT
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one of the best flavoured mashed potatoes I've had was at a restaurant on the river here in Adelaide...was flavoured with kalamata olives
found this recipe online at
http://www.gardenguides.com/cgi-bin/print/friendly.cgi [dead link]
which I believe has all the right flavours!
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or all-purpose potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup hot heavy cream
4 ounces mild white goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. In a saucepan, cover the potatoes and thyme with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer, until the potatoes are tender. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water. Drain the potatoes and garlic into a colander.
2. Return the hot potatoes and garlic to the pan. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the cream, goat cheese, olives, olive oil, salt, and pepper. If needed, mix in enough of the reserved cooking water to make the potatoes fluffy.
From: Karen AKA Kajikit (kajikit at jagcon.com)
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:31:28 -0400
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miles wrote:
>Does anyone in rec.food.cooking have a particularly good recipe for
>mashed potatoes?
Add some onion powder and/or garlic and/or garlic powder and
fresh-ground pepper... and use real butter instead of margerine. Yum!