Just Cook It! — Mashed potatoes
As our Thanksgiving season rolls on, we excitedly find ourselves one week closer to the big day. I personally have been so anxious that I have been working on new turkey, dressing (stuffing) and mashed potato recipes for the past few weeks.
Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to come up with new recipes — that’s my job and yes, before you ask, I will share them.
Last week was dedicated to Thanksgiving dressing. This week is dedicated to another Thanksgiving favorite – mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes are a dish that I field questions about not only at Thanksgiving. but throughout the year.
People often wonder how you achieve the perfect rich, creamy and delicious mashed potato. Mashed potatoes are an incredibly simple food when you think about them; however, they can be tricky to master.
Mashed potatoes obviously begin with the simple, basic and inexpensive potato. Potatoes are not a luxurious food by any stretch, but they can be turned into a very luxurious experience if prepared correctly.
Before we delve into mashed potato specifics, I would like to take a moment to clarify an important point. In my opinion, gravy is a very important part of any Thanksgiving dinner and is commonly seen as the sidekick to mashed potatoes.
However, my objective when making mashed potatoes has always been to create a mashed potato worthy of standing on its own. Gravy should always accompany all things Thanksgiving as backup, but should be just that – backup. Our goal is to create a mashed potato that is worthy of being eaten in all its rich and creamy potato goodness without additional flavor and texture needed.
Keeping that simple goal in mind we must first shift our attention to the primary ingredient we began discussing a couple of paragraphs ago.
Selecting the correct potato to use is important in achieving our desired texture and flavor in the final dish. Different potatoes fall into three categories – waxy, starchy, and all-purpose. When selecting a potato for mashed potatoes you should select a spud that is either starchy, such as a russet or an Idaho, or an all-purpose potato such as a Yukon gold (my personal favorite). The starchy and all-purpose varieties are less dense and will break down more during the cooking process, which will lead to the smoother texture that we all know and love.
As far as the actual cooking process goes you have a few different options. The most common way is to first peel the potatoes and then start them in cold salted water and slowly bring them to a boil until they are fork tender. This method works, but you will lose a lot of the potato flavor in the water that you discard after the cooking process is complete. This method is my third choice out of the three we will discuss.
My second choice is to peel and then steam the potatoes. The advantages to steaming your potatoes are that it keeps the potatoes moist, locks in the flavor, and keeps them from burning. Also, if you rinse your potatoes half way through the steaming process, it will prevent them from getting gummy during prolonged exposure to boiling water which could be an issue when using the boiling method.
My favorite way to cook potatoes for mashed potatoes is to slowly simmer them in heavy cream. Think about it – you are going to fold cream into the potatoes after they are mashed anyway. Using this method allows you to add the extra potato flavor from the cream right back into your potatoes. Also, cooking them in cream means you have to cook them more slowly to prevent scorching, which will also by default allow you to achieve a better texture. It’s basically taking the advantages of the boiling and steaming methods and combining them into one technique.
Cooking your potatoes in cream takes a bit more time and care. However, this small amount of extra patience will pay off in a big way when you take that first bite. Believe me, when you do sit down to enjoy them, you will thank yourself for the small amount of extra effort.
Your potatoes are done cooking when they are fork tender or can be cut with a knife with no resistance. They shouldn’t crumble, but should be soft. Undercooked potatoes will leave lumps and overcooked potatoes will crumble and become wet or have an almost soupy texture.
So now that your potatoes are cooked, how do you transform them from chunks of cooked potato to a smooth and dreamy bowl of mashed potatoes? The best way to get extra creamy potatoes is to rice them using a potato ricer. Running your potatoes through a food mill is the next best choice. You want to limit the amount you process or work your potatoes so that the starches stay intact. At this point the less effort you use to mash is the best effort. Love your potatoes and they will love you.
After my potatoes are riced, I gently and slowly fold in the cream they were cooked in, a generous amount of softened butter (cut into small pieces), a few tablespoons of sour cream, and season them with sea salt and ground white pepper to taste. Use your senses and better judgment on the amounts to add, and fold them as little as possible to not overwork your potatoes.
Mashed potatoes are a dish that should be served immediately for the best possible texture and results. They tend to get gummy as they sit. If you have to reheat them though, the best method is to use a double boiler. It’s a more gentle heat and you won’t have to worry about them burning and sticking since they won’t be in contact with the direct heat at the bottom of the pan. Since you won’t have to worry about them burning, you won’t have to stir them as much which will again help you avoid overworking them and keep them creamy and delicious.
I will be making my mashed potatoes live on my radio show Just Cook It at 9 a.m. Saturday on WMBS Radio 590 AM as well as on the television version of the show 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday on Fayette TV channel 77.
Until then, Just Cook It!
Mario J. Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, author, and the host of Just Cook It on WMBS Radio 590 AM. He can be reached via his website at: www.JustCookIt.net.