OT Potatos

Awesome!

And wow, Google Books is really good. I've been using the Guggenheim
Project for years, but this is my first gliimpse of Google Books. Free
books on line: one of the highest and best uses of Internet technology. As
is RCTQ :-) And recipes. For mashed potatoes. Here's the recipe I made
tonight (which is pure sin, including the sour-cream sin and the bacon sin.
I am absolved by virtue of the fact that I invited my SO's dad over for
dinner, so I did it all for him. Yeah right.):

Twice-Baked Mashed Potatoes

2-1/2 lbs. medium potatoes, peeled
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup chopped onion
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, mash potatoes. Add the sour cream, milk, butter and 1 cup
cheese. Stir in the onion, bacon, salt, and pepper. Spoon into a greased
2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350
degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.


ep


"Nann" wrote in message
...
I have recently read two treatises on mashed potatoes. One is an
essay in an excellent anthology by Mark Kurlansky, "The Food of a
Younger Land." Among many reviews:
http://www.slate.com/id/2219170/
The essay was written in the 1930's by a woman who had very decided
opinions about mashed potatoes. It's a hoot.

The second is in "Mouth Wide Open" by the wonderful food writer John
Thorne.
Here 'tis, courtesy of Google Books: http://tinyurl.com/y9bqpqu

At our house we scrub the taters well, cut them into chunks, boil
them, drain the water, and use a potato masher. We do not add milk.
We do not whip them. I like a little butter; DH likes salt & pepper.
We have been known to boil chunked carrots with the taters and mash
them together. We call that a smush, and the result is tasty indeed.

Nann
in northeasternmost Illinois
who has enjoyed the four episodes of Ken Burns' "National Parks" while
stitching this week....one more evening to go....

"NightMist" wrote in message
...

It is going to depend on how you do.
DH whips the poor spuds to within an inch of their life.
If you don't overwork them too badly they are probably fine.
I reckon it takes a touch, and you might just have it.

NightMist

Honey, you put 2 sticks of butter in there, they could have the consistency
of wall paper paste and they would taste good.

Cindy

This recipe sounds good, I'll have to try it!
I always use the mixer. Sometimes the potatoes themselves have a gooey
texture and are a mess, but, normally I always have good luck with my mashed
potatoes. I add lots of real butter, some milk, salt, and pepper, and my
secret ingredient, a large dollop of evaporated milk, not too much.
Everyone seems to love them.
Michelle G.
"Edna Pearl" wrote in message
...
Awesome!

And wow, Google Books is really good. I've been using the Guggenheim
Project for years, but this is my first gliimpse of Google Books. Free
books on line: one of the highest and best uses of Internet technology.
As
is RCTQ :-) And recipes. For mashed potatoes. Here's the recipe I made
tonight (which is pure sin, including the sour-cream sin and the bacon
sin.
I am absolved by virtue of the fact that I invited my SO's dad over for
dinner, so I did it all for him. Yeah right.):

Twice-Baked Mashed Potatoes

2-1/2 lbs. medium potatoes, peeled
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup chopped onion
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, mash potatoes. Add the sour cream, milk, butter and 1 cup
cheese. Stir in the onion, bacon, salt, and pepper. Spoon into a greased
2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350
degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.


ep


"Nann" wrote in message
...
I have recently read two treatises on mashed potatoes. One is an
essay in an excellent anthology by Mark Kurlansky, "The Food of a
Younger Land." Among many reviews:
http://www.slate.com/id/2219170/
The essay was written in the 1930's by a woman who had very decided
opinions about mashed potatoes. It's a hoot.

The second is in "Mouth Wide Open" by the wonderful food writer John
Thorne.
Here 'tis, courtesy of Google Books: http://tinyurl.com/y9bqpqu

At our house we scrub the taters well, cut them into chunks, boil
them, drain the water, and use a potato masher. We do not add milk.
We do not whip them. I like a little butter; DH likes salt & pepper.
We have been known to boil chunked carrots with the taters and mash
them together. We call that a smush, and the result is tasty indeed.

Nann
in northeasternmost Illinois
who has enjoyed the four episodes of Ken Burns' "National Parks" while
stitching this week....one more evening to go....

My masher is 40+ years old and shaped like

http://tinyurl.com/yclaz8q

I boil the potatoes, drain off the water and then stand back on the heat
for a few seconds so all the water has gone. Then I add a splash of
milk, turn off the heat and mash away. If I have used a ring at the
front of the stove I may mash with the pan still on the slight residual
heat.

Finally I add a knob of butter (enough to exist but not enough to hurt
my conscience!) and stir it in briskly with an ordinary table fork. This
smooths the potato out but stops it going 'glueky'. Glueky potatoes
always look grey.

Results = soft fluffy potatoes.

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sallyattheseaside/


Edna Pearl wrote:
I swear by my old-fashioned potato masher like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips...4354977&sr=8-1
or http://tiny.cc/pNfjZ

I have never seen one of these bend out of shape. It is very easy to use.
(Believe me, I have tendonitis and arthritis in my hands, and I just used
this masher this evening without any significant pain.)

I agree about the electric mixer for potatoes. Totally yuck.

ep




"NightMist" wrote in message
...
Many many men are fine, nay, excellent cooks.
My husband is one of them.
However he has some quirks.
Aside from leaving food and things in the middle of the dirty dishes
next to the sink, the one thing that I hate about when he cooks is his
use of the mixer to mash potatos. It all but chokes me to try and eat
them when they are done like that. Can you say overworked pasty goo?
We have two potato mashers, and I really can't blame him for not using
them I guess. One is an old style wooden one, only it is rounded at
the end instead of flat, which makes it really hard to use. The other
is one of those modern bent steel with slots sort of things, and it
is way too bendy to be very useful.
His idea of hand mashers are the zig zag ones, he thinks they are good
because you can bend them back into shape when you are done.
On my planet they shouldn't bend in the first place.

The hand mixer died.
He doesn't want to drag out the stand mixer for potatos, the pan
wouldn't fit and taking it off the stand for something like that seems
a bit extreme. So when we have boiled taters now, we have boiled
taters. (Yay!) Which means there are sometimes left over potatos for a
fry up! (G) If I can beat the rest of the house to them, "potatos and
salt, and find no fault" means something here. I am lucky if I have
any to work with when I boil them and leave them to cool for chips!

We will of course be getting a new hand mixer.
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her. On the other hand new ones might not be as well made.
I think I will take the risk, even though I will have to mail order.
Besides, that kind of masher just rocks for juicing fruit to make
jelly or wine.

DH says if I want the tatos mashed by hand I can do it myself.
I am willing to make the sacrifice if it meands no more library paste
and gravy.

NightMist
--

Legolas is my house elf

Too early in the morning to remember but I think Alton Brown and/or
Julia Child can go on and on about the humble mashed potato. You need the
'right' potato - could be Yukon Gold. It does matter. Polly

Sally Swindells wrote:
My masher is 40+ years old and shaped like

http://tinyurl.com/yclaz8q

I boil the potatoes, drain off the water and then stand back on the heat
for a few seconds so all the water has gone. Then I add a splash of
milk, turn off the heat and mash away. If I have used a ring at the
front of the stove I may mash with the pan still on the slight residual
heat.

Finally I add a knob of butter (enough to exist but not enough to hurt
my conscience!) and stir it in briskly with an ordinary table fork. This
smooths the potato out but stops it going 'glueky'. Glueky potatoes
always look grey.

Results = soft fluffy potatoes.

I use a potato ricer. I squidge the dry potatoes through it and then
stir in a little milk and butter.

I also do sweet potato and butternut squash mash, and potato and parsnip
mash. To the last I may add a dash of sherry... The nice thing about
the ricer is that it squidges up the parsnips and removes any really
thready fibres as it goes, and doesn't turn the vegetables into veggie glue.

Chappit neeps *should* be done by boiling the neeps and then drying them
as Suzie does her potatoes (and me too, I hasten to add), and then
chopping madly in the pan with an old kitchen knife. As I can't do
that, I do them carefully with the chopper attachment (like a mini food
processor) on my Bamix hand held blender. They should be a finely
chopped texture, not mashed or pureed. Then you lightly mix in a good
dollop of best butter, a little salt, and plenty of pepper.
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her.

I have one like that. I've only had it for about 20 years (it was
probably about 30 years old when I got it) so it's too early to say
if it's really durable, but I'd take the chance anyway.

Giggle.

My mum still uses her neatly 60 YO Prestige potato masher: round metal
plate with rounded slots cut in it, riveted to a Y shaped stalk with a
wooden handle.

I've had plenty of different mashers over the years, but finally went
out and bought a ricer. Best mash I've ever made gets done on a regular
basis now.

Bangers and mash with red onion and port gravy, and peas. Yum! Works
best with Scots steak sausages or venison sausages...

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Polly Esther wrote:
Too early in the morning to remember but I think Alton Brown and/or
Julia Child can go on and on about the humble mashed potato. You need
the 'right' potato - could be Yukon Gold. It does matter. Polly

You need floury potatoes. King Edwards work well.

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

On Sep 30, 7:58*pm, "Edna Pearl"
wrote:
I swear by my old-fashioned potato masher like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips...00004OCJK/ref=....

Yup, that's what mine is (note: I said "mine" and not "ours"). It was
my mom's.
At least 60 years old and still smashin' em. Handle is a little
different; I couldn't
guess as to comparison - it'd take another 60 years (or until the new
style fails).

It depends on how ya like yer spuds. The above smasher leaves em a
little lumpy,
but some folks like a little lumpy. I've used mixers too, but it can
really strain
the cheap-os.

OTOH, as much as I like em smashed, we only have em that way a couple
times
a year 'cuz the fat/cholesterol police sez so. (Yes, I know - it's
not the taters - it's
what you put ON em...) As carboholic as I've become, we hardly ever
have *any*
kind of spuds anymore... :-( sniff...

Wow, an exhaustion ramble! I haven't done *that* in a while...

Doc

For some reason that reminds me of the beef council's '80s
"Real Meat for Real People" campaign with spokesperson
Cybill Shepherd (Wow, I can't believe how many spellings of her name
google has...) an avowed vegetarian at the time. She told em,
they didn't care, and she took the money... (so I just read).

On Sep 30, 9:53*pm, onetexsun wrote:
I love potatoes and gravy. Love that combo better than ..... almost
anything. We don't have gravy anymore -- it doesn't fit into the new
fitness regime which dictates one steamed veggie, one starch,
sometimes a meat or meat substitute, a green salad. Once in a while we
have oven roasted potatoes, but it's been months since I was able to
sneak in good mashed potatoes (by hand) with butter and milk and salt.
Even then, no gravy. I live for Thanksgiving. We have gravy then, AND
mashed potatoes, AND yams fixed the way I like them.

I don't know if we'll live longer or if it will just feel like it. I
am not losing weight on this food plan (not really a diet), and I
think it's because my body doesn't recognize what I'm eating as food
and therefore has gone into permanent starvation mode. I do get an ice
cream cone on a semi-regular basis. But it doesn't make up for
potatoes and gravy.

Eat some for me.

Sigh,
Sunny