Mashed potatos

[calmloki]

I don't do mashed taters very well (though my gravy is outstanding) - either they're heavy and sticky or have chunks in them. Was in WallyMart the other day buying some blinds and they had "Betty Crocker mashed potatos" in a box about the size of a small cracker box. 88 cents, two packets that claim to serve 4 per, but really do about 2 each. Those things were pretty much excellent. Kept expecting them to be like the old Navy dried potato flakes that tasted fake but taste and texture were great. Not as cheap as a 10# bag of potatos, but fast and easy and good. There is progress in the world!

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

yet again i've been asked to make my world famous mashed potatoes for thanksgiving along with my cucumber salad which i marinate in a sweet sichuan peppercorn concoction. i prefer my mashed potato on the chunky side with skins but my white-bread sister-in-law prefers them as smooth as a baby's behind. creamy baby red potatoes & a kitchen wisk work every time.

 

[Zoocat]

Lazy, would you mind sharing your mashed potato recipe? My daughter has offered to make them, because she loves them so much and she could use a great recipe.

 

[UncleHoney]

The only mashed potatoes we serve are Ore Ida frozen Mashed Potatoes. Fast and easy in the microwave. We always get asked to "bring the mashed potatoes" and I don't know if anyone has figured out they're not made from scratch. If they know there are no complaints.

Ore-Ida® Varieties - Homestyle

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Lazy, would you mind sharing your mashed potato recipe? My daughter has offered to make them, because she loves them so much and she could use a great recipe.

it is so easy it is silly. perfect for the born-lazy. the trick to smooth white-bread lifestyled mashed potatoes is to use the little red-skinned potatoes. do not use large ones, they are a little too granular. the babies are the best. the only extra effort is in the peeling. simply peel, boil, then with a proper kitchen whip (will mash up with zero lumps) whip up with skim milk, too much butter and just enough salt to taste.

do not use black pepper. that ruins the experience of the smooth mash. i only use black pepper when i make dirty mashed potatoes with lumps and skin. instead, the trick is to use white pepper. use sparingly and to taste, just enough so that after the mashed spuds have passed over the taste buds that you can still recall having just had a bite.

 

[Zoocat]

Thanks, Lazy! Sounds like a great recipe. We'll really enjoy it!

 

[Sandy]

I have a hand held braun blender that I use to mash the potatoes. Also, to cut down on calories, by using less milk and butter, I add some of the water I cooked the potatoes in. Lots of powdered garlic makes great garlic mashed potatoes.

 

[OAG]

What no Sour Cream?

 

[Twinkle Toes]

yet again i've been asked to make my world famous mashed potatoes for thanksgiving along with my cucumber salad which i marinate in a sweet sichuan peppercorn concoction. i prefer my mashed potato on the chunky side with skins but my white-bread sister-in-law prefers them as smooth as a baby's behind. creamy baby red potatoes & a kitchen wisk work every time.

Lazy, would you share your recipe for the cucumber salad. It sounds like a different salad to take to our Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks in advance!

Twink

 

[tikitoast]

yet again i've been asked to make my world famous mashed potatoes for thanksgiving along with my cucumber salad which i marinate in a sweet sichuan peppercorn concoction. i prefer my mashed potato on the chunky side with skins but my white-bread sister-in-law prefers them as smooth as a baby's behind. creamy baby red potatoes & a kitchen wisk work every time.

lazygood4nothin, I would be interested in your cucumber salad recipe too. I love cucumbers and want something kinda fancy for the holiday...

 

[saluki9]

I prefer a mix of red skin and Yukon gold with butter and half & half.

What's so hard?

 

[calmloki]

I prefer a mix of red skin and Yukon gold with butter and half & half.

What's so hard?

I dunno - the tater gods hate me. I use yukon golds, warm the mixer bowl, warm the milk and anything else that goes into the potatos - still doesn't come out well. O - they're mashed and substantial and all that, just not as good as others i've had.

 

[bright eyed]

yukon golds are wonderful mashed! so fluffy and buttery...

 

[saluki9]

I dunno - the tater gods hate me. I use yukon golds, warm the mixer bowl, warm the milk and anything else that goes into the potatos - still doesn't come out well. O - they're mashed and substantial and all that, just not as good as others i've had.

I hear you. Sometimes the simple dishes are just so hard to get right. We've all been there.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

lazygood4nothin, I would be interested in your cucumber salad recipe too. I love cucumbers and want something kinda fancy for the holiday...

ok, but this ain't mashed potatoes.

make extra because people will eat it like candy or any left overs will make your host oh so very happy. i got 8 cukes for 14 people (we are down from our usual 23). here it goes:

first credit due everything you want to know about chinese cooking by pearl kong chen, tien chi chen & rose y.l. tseng; barron's press 1983, an absolutely brilliant book.

recipe serves (supposedly but really not even) four. 25 min prep 40 min resting plus overnight chilling.

ingredients: 1 long cuke (about 1 lb) 1 tablesp salt 1 tablesp oil 1 tablesp sesame oil (i use a little less)

marinade: 1 tablesp sichuan peppercorns (i use more--they are wonderful) 2 dried red chili peppers broken 3 tablesp distilled white vinegar 2 teasp water 3 tablesp granulated sugar (use the icky bleached white stuff, the taste is more crisp in this recipe than natural cane)

preparation:

1 (i prefer peeled cukes and don't bother with the layering but if you have the inclination...) remove both ends of the cucumber. place it between 2 chopsticks to guide your cuting and slice it thinly until the knife reaches the chopsticks. cut 1 piece off after slicing 4 very thin slices, making a 4-layered cucumber piece. continue to slice the remaining cuke. (i just cut the darned thing into slices.)

2 dredge the slices with salt. let stand at room temp for at least 30 minutes or until soft. drain and arrange slices flat on a board and press with heavy weight to expel moisture, about 10 minutes.

3 prepare marinade. set small skillet over med-high heat. when hot add peppercorns & chili pepper, stir until spicy flavor escapes. add vinegar (step back first--do not breathe in fumes) and water and turn heat to low. cook 1 minute.

4 add sugar, stir to dissolve, strain marinade and discard solids.

5. arrange cuke slices in glass container. pour marinade over, cover, chill overnight.

6. to serve, drain marinade & toss slices gently with oil and sesame oil. (i sometimes add some seseme seeds for color and to get caught in the teeth of everyone over 40). dinner is served.

 

[tangomonster]

Hey Lazy, maybe we should start a support group for people who love Sichuan peppercorns too much! I use them in cooking, as well as cuke salads. The mouth numbing is fun (gotta get our kicks somehow!)

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i couldn't find them last time i looked. importation was banned some 40 years ago but the ban was not enforced until a few years back and then supplies dried up. something about bacteria or canker which effects citrus trees. (florida tried cutting down everyone's private orange trees due to canker only to later find they cut them all down for nothing as it made no improvement to commercial groves. so of course now everyone who once had their own trees have to buy the stuff.)

i'm not certain as to what is the current status of the peppercorn ban. ah, i just read online that the ban was lifted on batches preheated to kill the bacteria so seems they might be in the stores again. the cuke dish was a special request of my sil so i'm dipping into my secret stash.

 

[tangomonster]

Sichuan peppercorns are being sold again. Here is a wonderful mail order source:

Spices at Penzeys Spices Szechuan Peppercorns

They are very fresh and strong! Check out all the other great spices, too.

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Lazy, thanks for the cucumber salad recipe...now have to get the peppercorns.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

yer very welcome twinkle. don't forget to make extra. this will be one of those dishes that gets scarfed up.

and thanx for the site tango, will check out if i can't find locally. i do have a large number of asian grocery stores not too far from me which might carry them now. i'll never forget the last time i tried though. i got a look like i was from the office of immigration. (i didn't realize then that it was actually a look as if i was from the fda.)

now to peel all those baby red potatoes.

 

[tangomonster]

Lazy, in some Asian markets, they are also known as prickly ash:

Sichuan pepper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I know some folks who swear by using a ricer on their mashed.

Heres the recipe for "ultimate mashed potatoes" from the cookbook "52 meat loaves" by michael mclaughlin. A highly recommended book.

4.5 lbs russet peeled and chunked
1.25 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream at room temp
1 teaspoon black pepper

Put taters in cold salted water and bring to a boil, cook 25 minutes. In a small saucepan bring milk and salt to a simmer. Drain taters and force through a food mill or ricer or mash by hand. Do not use a food processor or mixer (I've heard this makes the taters gummy, never done it myself). Put the taters back in the pan you boiled them in and stir for 3 minutes over low heat. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, then beat in the sour cream. Beat by hand or a minute or two until fluffy. Stir in pepper and serve hot with butter.

I also toss in a handful of grated cheddar or monterrey jack cheese. Seems to punch up the flavor and texture a little bit. Oh yeah, and some green onions and bacon goes well on top

 

[riskadverse]

The trick to good mashed potatoes is how you cook the potatoes. Most people overcook the potatoes and end up with a watery consistency. Cut your potatoes into approx. 1" cubes. Boil them until a fork easily pierces them and no longer. This is only about 5 minutes at a full boil. Add melted butter and heated milk or half and half while mixing with an electric mixer to create the consistency you want.

 

[jambo101]

The trick to good mashed potatoes is how you cook the potatoes. Most people overcook the potatoes and end up with a watery consistency. Cut your potatoes into approx. 1" cubes. Boil them until a fork easily pierces them and no longer. This is only about 5 minutes at a full boil. Add melted butter and heated milk or half and half while mixing with an electric mixer to create the consistency you want.

Thats the trick to a perfect mashed potato,i take it a step further by adding a tbl spoon of Mayo, spoon of Parmesan cheese and a tsp of chicken powder
Any mashed potato's that come from a box are not worthy of the name.

 

[Khan]

The trick to good mashed potatoes is how you cook the potatoes. Most people overcook the potatoes and end up with a watery consistency. Cut your potatoes into approx. 1" cubes. Boil them until a fork easily pierces them and no longer. This is only about 5 minutes at a full boil. Add melted butter and heated milk or half and half while mixing with an electric mixer to create the consistency you want.

Mother used to throw some powdered milk into the (drained)pan of whole boiled potatoes and use the hand mixer.