With mashed potatoes, you get the kind of unconditional love only mothers provide. How many dishes satisfy hunger so fast, fill you up so tenderly, and go down so smoothly?
How many foods not only taste great, but are fun to play with too?
This dish, the ultimate in comfort foods, is also the darling of the trendiest dining establishments.
Mashed potatoes fill a void because they remind of bygone times when Mom prepared foods just for you, when you felt safe despite the sound of rain beating down on windows, and when warmth came in something tangible, concrete and familiar.
Magically, they evoke the memory, or conjure the illusion, of warm kitchens, routines and quiet, peaceful moments at home. They epitomize all that is basic, simple and honest, and they deliver that message on a reliable basis.
How fitting to celebrate moms and Mother’s Day with this classic dish.
Comfort isn’t the only appeal. Mashed potatoes offer inventive cooks unlimited serving possibilities.
Take presentation: In addition to their standard format–in a mound–potatoes can be molded, sculpted, souffled, pureed, tinted and put through a variety of pastry tubes.
They also lend themselves to a seemingly endless variety of flavorings.
Although the most basic recipes call for potatoes, milk, salt, pepper and butter, an informal survey of recipes turns up the following additions: roasted garlic, parsnips, parsley, caramelized onions, basil-flavored olive oil, goat cheese, blue cheese, Parmesan cheese, mustard and mint.
Such innovation notwithstanding, many diehard potato-mashers cherish their secret ingredients, including anything from whipping cream to wasabi to leeks.
Consider another advantage. Mashed potatoes are one of the few foods that can be played with in polite company, and no one pays attention. A single serving lends itself to a variety of engineering feats, notably, Dam Building. To execute one, just form a well or depression in a mound of mashed potatoes, fill it with gravy and use your fork to divert streams, tributaries or rivulets.
Another pastime is the Mashed Potatoes Landfill Project. For this undertaking, you need to reserve separate sections on your plate for the gravy and the mashed potatoes. Slowly add mashed potatoes to the gravy until desired consistency has been reached and then stand back and marvel.
It must be noted that all is not harmonious among mashed potatoes fans. Ever since the first mound was scooped onto a plate, disagreement existed, factions developed and opposing camps became entrenched.
For example, there are those who prefer lumps in their mashed potatoes and those who like them creamy. Another group likes its potatoes mashed with the jackets or skins left on, while others prefer their mashed potatoes bare.
Some proponents favor milk, preferably low-fat, while others balk at such dietary restraints.
Many people have personal potato favorites such as russet or Idaho; others swear by the natural buttery flavor of Yukon Gold and its ilk. And yet another group demands that its potatoes be mashed by a hand tool, “the old-fashioned way.” Others have no qualms about using a mixer to produce a velvety texture.
The secret of mashed potatoes’ enduring popularity is flexibility. From pot roast to pesto, they have managed to survive the whims of food fashion by adapting to the tastes and fancies of each succeeding generation. This characteristic guarantees a healthy future.
But those who report on culinary trends point out that white beans have gained on the spud in popularity. They contend that beans pose serious competition to mashed potatoes for the honor of No. 1 vegetable.
Granted, white beans add a tasty touch to chopped salads, they are attractive (for a bean), and they are the pride and joy of the legume food group. But serious competition? Hardly.
The upstart pales by comparison.
MEDMADMASH
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This recipe is adapted from “The New Making of a Cook,” by Madeleine Kamman, who calls these “Mediterranean mad mashed potatoes.”
2 heads garlic, tops, roots removed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 large russet or red potatoes, peeled, cut in large pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
3 sprigs fresh sage, chopped
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set garlic in small baking dish with 1/2 inch water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake until garlic is soft and pulp can be squeezed out of skin, about 45 minutes. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, place potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart of water. Heat to boil; simmer, covered, until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving water.
3. Set mesh strainer over large skillet; add potatoes and garlic pulp. Push potatoes through strainer using back of spoon into pan. Add 2 tablespoons reserved potato-cooking water if needed. Heat briefly. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Arrange potatoes in serving dish. Heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, hazelnuts and sage sprigs in small skillet over medium-low heat 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon over top of potatoes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 300 Fat ……….. 20 g Saturated fat .. 2.3 g
% calories from fat .. 59 Cholesterol … 0 mg Sodium ………. 7 mg
Carbohydrates …… 29 g Protein …….. 4 g Fiber ………… 3 g
