Mashed: Rich mashed potatoes
Subject: Rich mashed potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: kbell12345 at aol.com (KBELL12345)
Date: 21 Nov 1998 21:46:10 GMT
--------
Lately at restaurants, I have been getting absolutely wonderfully rich mashed potatoes. Does anyone know the secret of what makes them so rich - do they use cream or evaporated milk or what?
From: brawnybear at netscape.net (Mr. Bill)
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 21:56:54 GMT
--------
Probably real potatoes.
From: Natasha Chen Christensen (natchen at ucla.edu)
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 15:23:30 -0800
--------
I think that they use lots of real butter and cream. Sometimes, my mother in law uses sour cream instead of milk, and then you have really rich, yummy mashed potatoes. Also, after draining your potatoes, let them sit in the pot with the heat on so that all the water evaporates before you add the dairy products.
From: Mary Gorman (mgorman at hia.net)
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 19:05:13 -0600
--------
I make absolutely scrumptious garlic mashed potatoes (my father-in-law, who's the pickiest food person I know, LOVES them) by boiling peeled, cut-up potatoes and peeled garlic cloves until they're mashable, draining them, and drying them out a little by putting them back on the stove over low heat for a minute or so. Meanwhile, I heat up some heavy cream and a little butter, just until the butter melts. Then I whip the potatoes with the cream/butter mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Very rich, creamy, and yummy!
From: justanh at aol.com (JUST AN H)
Date: 22 Nov 1998 04:28:09 GMT
--------
I learned how to make rich and creamy mashed potatoes as a child by watching my German mother prepare them back in the 1960s. She'd boil whole, unpeeled potatoes until they were tender. (About 40-45 minutes.) When they were done, I'd pull a kitchen chair up to the sink, climb up on it and watch her prepare them.
In short, drain the potatoes and peel them by spearing each carefully with a fork and peeling with a knife. (Peel carefully over the sink, since the potatoes will be hot ... and fragile!) Place peeled potatoes in a mixer bowl.
After peeling potatoes, melt 1/2 stick butter in 1/4 cup milk. Add to potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and whip with an electic mixer. (Don't mix too long, or the mashed potatoes will take on the consistency of dough.)
As you may have guessed, it's the addition of a small amount of milk (or cream) that causes mashed potatoes to be rich and creamy.
For fluffier and lighter mashed potatoes, omit the milk (or cream) and mashed them by hand with a potato masher.
From: Liz Hug (lizhug at erols.com)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 09:27:18 -0500
--------
I recently saw a recipe in our local paper for rich mashed potatoes
using cream cheese. Maybe this is what you're tasting?
From: Joyce (brucen at bellsouth.net)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 14:46:48 GMT
--------
I don't now what they are doing with the potatoes in the restaurants, but I have a good recipe you might like to try.
Red Skinned Potatoes
Scrub skins, (leave on) cut in half, boil, drain. Mash with sour cream, little butter, salt and pepper.
Very good served with pork.
From: Rich Tester (rwtester at verio.com)
Date: 23 Nov 1998 00:20:53 GMT
--------
Joyce wrote:
> Red Skinned Potatoes
Some places are using fancy potatoes, such as yukon gold, instead of regular potatoes. I like them much better, myself. I have also been served mashed ptotatoes made with buttermilk, instead of milk or cream. The result is very rich and tasty.
From: kroes at wmich.edu (Nancy A. Kroes)
Date: 24 Nov 98 13:49:28 EST
--------
Joyce writes:
> Scrub skins, (leave on) cut in half, boil, drain.
> Mash with sour cream, little butter, salt and pepper.
I do similarly, only I don't leave all of the skin on, only about half and I add a bit of dried basil to my potatoes mashed with butter and sour cream. I find they go well will *everything* that way!
From: Joyce and Bruce (brucen at bellsouth.net)
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 23:35:51 GMT
--------
Great idea, I have fresh basil in the garden, thanks for the tip.
From: Mimi Hiller (mimi at cyber-kitchen.com)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 14:14:03 -0700
--------
For Rich Tester:
I agree with the other posters, but wanted to add that the kind of potato you use has a lot to do with the richness and texture. I use red potatoes, well-scrubbed and unpeeled.
For the person who adds peeled garlic to the pot when cooking the potatoes, forget peeling them. When they're cooked, all you have to do is squeeze them out of their skins...and they ARE delicious.
And whatever you add (butter, milk, cream, etc.), make sure they're warmed up first.
From: Michael Sierchio (kudzu at dnai.com)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1998 14:46:26 -0800
--------
I bake potatoes for mashing, then put them through a ricer while still hot (helps to have asbestos fingers). And it's the only thing I use russets for (other than gnocchi). Oh yeah, no need for butter if you use cream instead of milk ;-)
From: Elizabeth Falkner (falkners at home.com)
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 02:41:00 GMT
--------
Mashed potatoes MUST be made with a pinch of mace. I used to add as much cream and butter as the potatoes would hold BUT now...sigh...
From: Mark Kilinski (markk at gate.net)
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 13:35:01 -0500
--------
Yes, they probably use cream and butter. There is a trick to it, however. In order to get the potatos to absorb enough cream and butter they must be dried first. I do this by mashing them on the stove top after draining (med. heat) for a couple of minutes. They'll sizzle as the water comes out. Then, add a cup of cream and 1/2 stick of butter along with some salt and white pepper (per 2 - 3 lbs. potatos). No need to heat the cream and butter since you're doing the mashing on the stovetop. If you don't dry the potatos first, they'll get mushy before you can add enough cream to make them rich. Also, I find that Yukon Golds and most red skinned potatos have a good balance between waxiness and starchiness when mashing. Note that if you bake and rice the potatos (a different but also a great way to make them) the above doesn't apply.
For a variation make potatos as above and add the butter, salt and pepper. Then use 8 oz. sour cream instead of heavy cream and add about 2 Tbl. snipped chives. You can also leave the skins on. This is how the restaurants make the currently popular "smashed" potatos.
From: Nancy Young (qwerty at mail.monmouth.com)
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 14:42:53 -0500
--------
It had never crossed my mind to do so before, but someone here posted that they freeze mashed potatoes, I decided to give it a try. Thanks to whoever suggested that, it really worked out great.
I just happened to have a big bag of potatoes (the 10 pound bags were the only decent looking ones available), and not especially fond of having them hang around (I once forgot I'd put potatoes in a cabinet, and it wasn't until I tried to find the source of an relentless fruit fly outbreak, did I find these liquified potatoes ... ugh!!!!), I decided to try it.
I made them and froze them in portions. What the heck, if it didn't work out, no great loss. I made them lighter than I usually do so that I could add a little cream or butter when I reheated them to make them taste fresher. They were perfect. Next time I'll just mash them and freeze them plain. Doctor them up when I want to use them.
I reheated them in the microwave. I found they reheated more evenly when I, halfway through, used a spoon to sort of line the bowl with them, in other words, make a mashed potato bowl within the mixing bowl.