Mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes can have as many calories or as few calories as you want. Typically the higher the calories the better the taste, but that isn't always the case. The French way of making mashed potatoes is to use the potato cooking water instead of milk or cream. Suddenly you have vegan mashed potatoes. See Variations for ways to increase the flavor without adding calories.
| Recipe serves | Active time | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients |
|---|
| 2 pounds potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 2 teaspoons salt for the cooking water |
| 1/3 - 1/2 cup milk, cream, or drained potato cooking water |
| 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon pepper |
| Special equipment needed |
|---|
| Medium saucepan with a lid |
| Colander |
| Potato masher |
| Instructions |
|---|
| • Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover by 1 inch. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medim-high heat. This will take about 20 minutes. |
| • Once they are boiling, turn the heat down to medium. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, but not falling apart, in which case they will absorb too much water and lose flavor. This will take about 15 minutes. |
| • Drain the potatoes and put them back into the saucepan. Put the pan back on the burner and let the potatoes cook for about 1 minute. This will remove most of the water. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add half of the milk. Stir. Use only enough milk as necessary to get the consistency that you want. Add the salt and pepper. |
| • If you are not serving the potatoes immediately, keep the pan over very low heat. Before serving, stir and add more milk, if necessary. |
| Variations |
|---|
| • Cook whole, peeled garlic with the potatoes or add minced raw garlic before adding the milk. |
| • Add cilantro, parsley, or chopped green onions for color. |
| • Add blue cheese or Swiss cheese or better yet a combination. |
| • Add aji amarillo or aji panca paste. See photo below. |
| • Add butter. |
| Storage |
|---|
| • These are best eaten immediately after cooking, but you can keep them warm for 10 minutes or so. You may need to add more milk if they dry out. |
| • Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 days. Shape them into little patties and sauté them in a little vegetable oil to create potato pancakes. |
Comments on this recipe?
Carol Mason commented that buttermilk can be used instead of milk, cream, or drained potato cooking water.