Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
For mashing, Yukon Gold potatoes unseat Idahos and russets as top spud. They’re dry enough to fluff while a bit of starch contributes creamy smoothness. Yukons also have a buttery taste built in.
How to mash? A potato ricer works well. A hand mixer is noisy. A masher is quick and efficient and easier to find than a ricer.
4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, halved or quartered
Salt
1 cup whole milk, about
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, cut in 6 pieces
Freshly ground white pepperto taste
1. Cook potatoes in large pot of salted water until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain well in colander, shaking to remove as much water as possible.
2. Spoon potatoes into a potato ricer; press back into pan. Or, mash with potato masher in pan. Add 3/4 cup milk and mix with potato masher or large spoon until smooth, adding more milk as necessary to reach a fluffy, light consistency. Add butter, salt to taste and pepper; mix lightly. Serve at once.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 215 Sodium ……. 20 mg Fat …… 8 g
Carbohydrates .. 33 g Cholesterol .. 25 mg Protein .. 4 g
GRAVY TRAINING
Gravy can strike terror in a cook. Witness the number of cans of commercial gravy sold during the holidays because cooks simply give up on making their own.
It’s the lumps that cause havoc. The quick way of making gravy is to mix flour and water together until smooth and then stir it into the hot pan juices. This method often leads to lumps.
A safer method is to mix the flour directly into hot fat, stirring to form a paste, or roux. Then the pan drippings and a rich stock are slowly whisked into the fat mixture, creating a silken gravy.
(If you make gravy the fast way and find you have lumps, pour the gravy through a strainer. No one will know.)
Try this recipe, sparking it up with fresh herbs and pepper.
HERBED TURKEY GRAVY
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 cups
Pan drippings from roasted turkey
1/2 cup turkey fat (from drippings) or butter
4 cups low-fat chicken broth or turkey broth made from giblets
1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as a mixture of rosemary and sage or thyme and parsley, or tarragon and chives
1 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup flour
1. Heat turkey drippings to a boil in roasting pan on top of stove. Stir and scrape up any roasted bits on bottom of pan. Pour drippings from roasting pan into fat separator or bowl; separate or skim fat off top, reserving fat. Measure the fat, adding butter if needed to total 1/2 cup. Pour into large, heavy saucepan; set aside.
2. Pour drippings through a strainer into another saucepan or back into roasting pan. Heat to a boil. Add broth, herbs, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat to reduce slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat turkey fat until bubbling; whisk in flour. Cook over medium heat until thick, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in hot turkey broth; continue cooking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add more broth if necessary to desired consistency. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot.
Nutrition information per 1/4 cup:
Calories …….. 85 Sodium ….. 365 mg Fat …… 7 g
Carbohydrates .. 3 g Cholesterol .. 7 mg Protein .. 2 g
