Mashed potatoes have been a staple of the dinner table for a very long time and it usually is the most popular dish on the table. Those creamy mounds of potatoes were one of the stars of the show in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind and they are usually the stars of the show at the Thanksgiving table as well. They are supposed to be creamy and buttery and some cooks pride themselves on how smooth and velvety they are but, most home cooks may leave some lumps in them and they are still absolutely delicious.
Mashed potatoes are a simple recipe consisting of some butter, milk, pepper and salt added to the potatoes or some cooks beef them up with garlic, green onions and cheese. They are versatile as other things can be added such as vegetables, bacon and other cheeses and they can be placed back in the potato skins and baked again for twice baked potatoes.
There are even instant mashed potatoes, although not nearly as tasty as real ones. They haven't been around all that long either being patented in'62 by Canadian scientist Edward Asselbergs. He invented the process of dehydrating mashed potatoes that is used today even though some earlier methods were patented in'12 and'54. Today we can even go to the grocery store and purchase tubs of real potatoes that have been already mashed for us and all we have to do is heat them up in the microwave.
There are some purists that think you should boil a potato and then just mash it with a fork to make mashed potatoes. They say that if you put it in a food processor or mixer the potato cells are damaged releasing their starch making them very sticky however, many kids grew up enjoying those sticky potatoes and make them that way today. The methods of making mashed potatoes differ from household to household from peeling, boiling, and mashing the potatoes with a wire potato masher to baking them in the oven removing the skin and putting them into the electric mixer. In the old days people used a ricer to make smooth potatoes. A ricer is a large sieve like looking thing with a handle connected to a blade. You turn the handle and it squished the potato through the little holes in the body of the apparatus making little worm like potato threads. These can be whipped up with other additives to make a velvety textured mashed potato.
A simple mashed potato recipe uses russet potatoes but other good potatoes to use for mashed are Idaho and Yukon Gold. The ingredients needed to make Simple Mashed Potatoes are:Two and one half pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in chunksOne fourth cup milk, One fourth cup butter, One half teaspoon salt, One half teaspoon black pepper. Instructions are as follows: Place potato chunks in 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils reduce heat to medium low and cover the pot. Let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until poked with a fork the potatoes feel soft. Drain potatoes and transfer to a large bowl and mash with a wire masher or place in a mixer bowl and whip them for a few minutes. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper and mix until potatoes become smooth and creamy. This will serve about six people.
If you would like to take your mashed potatoes up a notch try Cheesy Mashed Potatoes that use cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese. You will need the following:8 to 10 potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks (3 pounds or a little more), 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, One half of a 16 ounce carton of sour cream, 6 tablespoons butter, One fourth teaspoon garlic salt, One fourth teaspoon pepper, One half cup shredded Cheddar. Directions are as follows:Place potato chunks in a large pan or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes feel soft when poked with a fork. Drain and place potatoes in the mixer bowl. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter and whip. Add garlic salt and pepper and whip until well combined. You can either whip in the cheddar cheese or sprinkle it on top and let it melt a little before serving.
Wire mashers should be used in an up and down motion instead of side to side so that the integrity of the cells stay in tact and the potatoes do not become starchy. Always add softened butter rather than throwing in a cold, hard chunk of butter that may not get mixed in well. You can warm your milk before adding to keep the potatoes warm and make a creamy consistency. Do not let the milk boil though. Use chicken broth instead of milk as this will give them a heartier taste but make sure to test before adding salt since there is salt in the broth.
Mashed potatoes are great for a side dish with dinner and your family will just love having them. Add in bacon, chives, onions, and other things to give them more interest or just serve them plain. Use butter, sour cream or a little cheese to give them some vitality or you can top them with gravy. One guarantee, there probably will not be any left after dinner is over.
Mashed potatoes are a simple recipe consisting of some butter, milk, pepper and salt added to the potatoes or some cooks beef them up with garlic, green onions and cheese. They are versatile as other things can be added such as vegetables, bacon and other cheeses and they can be placed back in the potato skins and baked again for twice baked potatoes.
There are even instant mashed potatoes, although not nearly as tasty as real ones. They haven't been around all that long either being patented in'62 by Canadian scientist Edward Asselbergs. He invented the process of dehydrating mashed potatoes that is used today even though some earlier methods were patented in'12 and'54. Today we can even go to the grocery store and purchase tubs of real potatoes that have been already mashed for us and all we have to do is heat them up in the microwave.
There are some purists that think you should boil a potato and then just mash it with a fork to make mashed potatoes. They say that if you put it in a food processor or mixer the potato cells are damaged releasing their starch making them very sticky however, many kids grew up enjoying those sticky potatoes and make them that way today. The methods of making mashed potatoes differ from household to household from peeling, boiling, and mashing the potatoes with a wire potato masher to baking them in the oven removing the skin and putting them into the electric mixer. In the old days people used a ricer to make smooth potatoes. A ricer is a large sieve like looking thing with a handle connected to a blade. You turn the handle and it squished the potato through the little holes in the body of the apparatus making little worm like potato threads. These can be whipped up with other additives to make a velvety textured mashed potato.
A simple mashed potato recipe uses russet potatoes but other good potatoes to use for mashed are Idaho and Yukon Gold. The ingredients needed to make Simple Mashed Potatoes are:Two and one half pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in chunksOne fourth cup milk, One fourth cup butter, One half teaspoon salt, One half teaspoon black pepper. Instructions are as follows: Place potato chunks in 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils reduce heat to medium low and cover the pot. Let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until poked with a fork the potatoes feel soft. Drain potatoes and transfer to a large bowl and mash with a wire masher or place in a mixer bowl and whip them for a few minutes. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper and mix until potatoes become smooth and creamy. This will serve about six people.
If you would like to take your mashed potatoes up a notch try Cheesy Mashed Potatoes that use cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar cheese. You will need the following:8 to 10 potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks (3 pounds or a little more), 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, One half of a 16 ounce carton of sour cream, 6 tablespoons butter, One fourth teaspoon garlic salt, One fourth teaspoon pepper, One half cup shredded Cheddar. Directions are as follows:Place potato chunks in a large pan or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes feel soft when poked with a fork. Drain and place potatoes in the mixer bowl. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter and whip. Add garlic salt and pepper and whip until well combined. You can either whip in the cheddar cheese or sprinkle it on top and let it melt a little before serving.
Wire mashers should be used in an up and down motion instead of side to side so that the integrity of the cells stay in tact and the potatoes do not become starchy. Always add softened butter rather than throwing in a cold, hard chunk of butter that may not get mixed in well. You can warm your milk before adding to keep the potatoes warm and make a creamy consistency. Do not let the milk boil though. Use chicken broth instead of milk as this will give them a heartier taste but make sure to test before adding salt since there is salt in the broth.
Mashed potatoes are great for a side dish with dinner and your family will just love having them. Add in bacon, chives, onions, and other things to give them more interest or just serve them plain. Use butter, sour cream or a little cheese to give them some vitality or you can top them with gravy. One guarantee, there probably will not be any left after dinner is over.
About the Author:
Ben likes his potatoes to be mashed. So if you want to find some delicious mashed potato recipes visit his website that is full of different recipes. He specially recommends his healthy mashed potatoes recipe
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