A friend called today to ask for help to impress his new girlfriend. Apparently she's a lover of mashed potato and he needed some hints on how to make it perfectly. So I decided to start this blog with my thoughts on the stuff. Most of us eat it pretty regularly and even though it's so simple it's also easy to get it wrong!
One of my favourite kitchen gadgets is my potato ricer. It looks a bit like a giant garlic press and I'd recommend everyone to invest in one. For lazy cooks it's invaluable as it means you don't have to peel your spuds!
One of my favourite kitchen gadgets is my potato ricer. It looks a bit like a giant garlic press and I'd recommend everyone to invest in one. For lazy cooks it's invaluable as it means you don't have to peel your spuds!The Perfect Mash
Per person
2 medium or 1 large potato, must be floury variety such as King Edwards or Maris Piper
Knob of butter
Splash of milk (or cream if you are feeling lush!)
Salt and pepper.
Do not peel the spuds, just give them a bit of a scrub if they are dirty and cut them into halves or quarters if they are large. Put them in a saucepan and just cover them with water, put on a lid, then bring them to the boil with a healthy amount of salt. Lower to a simmer and cook until tender right through, about 15-20 minutes, drain them and put in bowl. Those who do not have a ricer will get the best results if you peel them after they have been cooked - but watch out they'll be a bit hot!
Put the saucepan back on a very low heat and add the butter and milk or cream to warm a little. Using the ricer put in one or two pieces of potato, flesh down as much as possible, squeeze it through and remove the skins before repeating. You will end up with a perfectly fluffy looking pile of potato and with a fork mix it all together to bind with the butter and milk. Check for salt and add a good grinding of pepper.
And that, as they say, is that!
If you fancy a change add a dollop of wholegrain mustard, great with sausages, or some garlic - boil a couple of cloves in their skins along with the potatoes for the last 10 minutes, then pop them out of the skin and crush with the spuds. I also often cook equal amounts of parsnip or celeriac with the potato. In fact, I did parsnip mash today, to go with a beef, leek and red wine stew. Mmmm
Happy mashing!
5 comments:
Hmmmm - sounds tasty. And if you find yourself caught short without a masher ... use a wine bottle .. it even helps to warm up the red wine :) Now all you need is a nice venison fillet ....
Lesley said...
Hi Lois, have you ever tried adding a raw egg to your mash?
Once it is combined with the potato, the heat cooks off the egg and leaves the mash really creamy and a hint of yellow for interest.
Hi Lois
Welcome to the world of food bloggers! It is catching. Glad to see you like the potato ricer too, it is my fave kitchen gadget. I'm a right sad sod! Keep in touch, I like your style.
All the best
David
Hi Lois
You were very unlucky - you should have got through on MS. I love your food, well I would as I have the same philosophy! Things get out of hand though as I still have a freezer full of blackberries and sloes and I'm sure the same happens to you as I cannot pass a ripe fruit without picking it.
What a pleasure when making a blackberry sauce for venison the other day and I was transported back to late summer by the smell of the blackberries, I could almost feel the sun on my back! Don't get that from supermarkets.
Good luck with your blog and keep up the enthusiam.
Hi Lois, interesting, informative and well written blog you've got there :) Nice mash recipe but over here in Belgium we also add and egg to the mash. Take care and all the best
Veeke
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