Dishes like french fries, potato chips, mashed potatoes are a corner stone of many worlds cousines. But it wasn't always so. Popatoes were first introduced into Europe and western cousine by Sir Walter Raleigh who brought them over the sea from the so called "New world".
A pioneer in the fiels of potatoes and mashed potatoes in Europe was Frenchman, Antoine Parmentier. He grew them on his farm and he even won an award for them. The story goes that local people stole his potatoes from the farm and this is how they became the part of French coisine.
The basic way to make mashed potatoes is pretty much the same wherever you go. With some exceptions off course. All the different variations are the result of what is later added to the mashed potatoes. The most common things used to spice up your mased potatoes recipe are cheese, bacon, garlic and onions.
So lets make mashed potatoes. You will need:
- one cup of half-half cream (you can also use heavy cream)
- half (1/2) cup of salted butter,
- salt for seasoning and
- six potatoes (medium sized)
First tip I will give you is about what kind of potatoes to use. The best ones for mashing are red and Russet Burbank potatoes. They give a rough and unique texture to the end product. If you don't like lumps in your taters, use Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes. These give a smooth and creamy feel to the whole dish.
Next we need to peel the potatoes and wash them. A little secret here is that if you want to make the recipe a bit rustic you can leave some the skin on the potatoes. They will be harder to mash later but the end result will be special.
Next tip: cut them to big chunks. Big pieces will cook longer but they will soak less water. Then add them to a decent-sized pot and cover them with cold water (tip No.4!) until the spuds are totally submerged. Adding salt is optional at this stage. Cover the pot and apply high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce it to a simmer and allow it for 15 to 20 minutes. To check if they're cooked, poke it with a knife and it should have no trouble entering. If the taters cling to the knife, they need a few more minutes.
Drain the water and put them back on low heat so all the water evaporates (less water better taste!). In the mean time heat up some cream and butter in a saucepan at a low temperature. Now comes the fun part; the mashing. Use a food mill or a potato ricer. Avoid using electrical mixers, since they will over-mix the taters and break the starch molecules. The starch is what that gives the dish its wonderful texture. Mix them to a nice and lumpy mixture.
After the potatoes are mashed take the butter and cream and mix it in. This gives the best taste but you can also do this at the same time as you mash the potatoes. As I said you can also add some other things to your mashed potatoes and now is the time to do it. Find some recipes to help you out or just use your imagination.
Mashed potatoes are not only very tasty dish, they also have some health benefits. They can improve your glucose tolerance and protect you against colon cancer.
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