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Southern Recipes - Southern Cooking"down home Southern Food" |
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Mashed Potatoes Recipe Such a simple dish, mashed potatoes, and yet there are so many
different ways to prepare them. And, of all dishes, mashed potatoes seem to have a wide variety of preferences of how people like them. Some like them very light and creamy, others like body and
coarse texture. Some like them with just butter and milk, others put some very strange additives in them.There are 4 things that determine what kind of mashed potatoes you end up with. 1. Type potatoes used 2. How the potatoes are cooked 3. What procedure or tools you use to mash them 4. What you add to them We recommend you use Russet or Yukon Gold for homemade mashed potatoes. They are high starch and make creamy mashed potatoes. Cooking the Potatoes Always start your potatoes in cold water with a teaspoon of salt added to it. Use just enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Time depends on how many potatoes you are cooking. When done, drain them immediately! Do not rinse, just drain and put them back in the pot and return the pot to the stove on low heat for about 2-3 minutes. This will remove some of the excess water and give you more flavor. Mashing the Potatoes The two most common methods used are using a potato masher (by hand) or beating with an electric mixer. The electric mixer adds air and results in a creamy texture. I prefer using a potato masher by hand because you have better control over the mix. Start by mashing the potatoes alone, just to break them up. Make sure your milk is heated and the butter is room temp or melted (I put the butter in the milk and heat in the microwave until the butter is melted). Add butter and milk a little at a time while mashing. Watch the texture of the potatoes closely at this point. This is where you obtain the final texture. If you like a light, creamy, fluffy texture, add milk and beat until it is the way you want it. If you like a heavier, course, full-bodied texture, go light on the milk and stop when you have the texture you want. Note; Be careful adding the milk. Watch the texture closely. If you add too much liquid at this point, you will have liquid potatoes. You can always add more milk, but you can not take it out. Here's the basic recipe. Ingredients * 2 pounds of potatoes * 1 teaspoon of salt * 1 cup of half and half (half milk and half cream - you can use regular milk if you prefer) * 6 tablespoons of butter * Salt and pepper, to taste Directions Peel and quarter the potatoes 1. Add the potatoes to a large pot with enough cold water to cover them by an inch or so. Add salt and bring the water to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. 2. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot and cook the drained potatoes over low heat for a couple of minutes to evaporate some of the water still in the potatoes. 3. Mash by your method of choice. (As stated earlier, I prefer a potato masher by hand) 4. Blend in butter, half and half, and any other ingredients you prefer (see below). 5. Season with salt and pepper. Additives You can add practically anything that appeals to you. Some of the more popular additives are: * Garlic (two crushed cloves) * Bacon bits (1/4 cup) * Cream Cheese (1/4 cup) * Grated Cheddar Cheese (1/4 - 1/2 cup) * Chopped shallots or onions (1/4 cup) * Worcestershire sauce (1 tablespoon) * Prepare mustard (1 tablespoon) * Dried, prepared dill (or fresh if you have it) (1 tablespoon) You can add any one or a combination of the additives. My favorite is Garlic, shallots, dill and 1/4 teaspoon of mustard. Serve with Southern Fried Chicken. Webmasters: Want to copy our recipes to your website? Read this first. |
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