When making a meal, people put a lot of thought into the main course and even the dessert, but sides are generally taken for granted. Cooks will spend hours baking a perfect dish, then slap some powdered mashed potatoes into a pot and call it a day.
There is no reason why homemade mashed potatoes can’t be the perfect side, especially if you take a little care in making them. Put that box of powdered potatoes away, pull out a pot and potato peeler and make some delicious mashed potatoes from scratch. It’s not that hard, or time consuming, and will taste absolutely amazing.
Ingredients:
8 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 cup of warm milk
4 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
garlic
shredded cheddar cheese
The annoying part is peeling the potatoes but, once that’s done, you can get down to cooking. Wash the freshly peeled potatoes and cut each into four pieces. Place them into a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. When you can easily press on them with a fork, then they are soft enough. It should take about 15-25 minutes of boiling.
Drain the pot and add the milk and butter, while keeping the pot on a low heat. Mash the potatoes with a fork – you know, like momma always did – until smooth. Move the potatoes out of the pan and into a bowl. Whisk them until they are nice and fluffy with no lumps.
You can add salt and pepper to taste, along with some fresh garlic. Make it even more special by adding some shredded cheddar cheese for cheddar garlic mashed potatoes.
It takes a little extra time, but the end result is well worth it. Making mashed potatoes is an art and it may take you a few times to get it right. It’s an easy task, but getting all the lumps out may take a few tries.
But wait – there’s more. When I was a kid, my mom would tell me about the times when she was young and money was tight. A cheap and tasty thing to do with leftover mashed potatoes is to make potato cakes. My mom said they used to have them all the time, because it didn’t cost anything extra except for a little butter and flour.
Take the leftover mashed potatoes, flatten them into small cakes and dip them in flour. Melt some butter in a pan over medium heat and place the cakes in the pan. Brown each side and you’re done. These are great for breakfast the next morning.
My mom never made mashed potatoes with garlic and cheese. If you make plain mashed potatoes, then the cakes go great with a little pancake syrup.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/34917178@N08/4552198422
See also:
- Mashed Potatoes: Homemade or Instant?
- Mashed Potatoes: Comfort Food On A Winter’s Night
- Quick Recipe: Biscuits With Garlic And Cheese
- Comfort Food: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Perfect Fall Recipe: Pumpkin Bars
- Make A Cheese And Ranch Potato Casserole This Easter
- Recipe: Oven-Fried Chicken
- Valentine’s Main Course: Honey Dijon Salmon
- The Perfect Carrot Cake
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