Mashed potatoes - how do you do yours?

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Mashed potatoes - how do you do yours?
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Marigold123

Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 05 10:43 pm Post subject:
I've had gluey potatoes when done with a hand blender, but it may well have been that they were a tad too new. If they're properly floury I don't see that there should be any problem. Mmmm, mashed potatoes.....

moggins

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 942
Location: Gloucester

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 05 11:40 pm Post subject:
Just don't steam them above a boiling bacon joint and then try to mash them or you will have something you could use to wallpaper with like I did. I did this seven years ago and have never been allowed to live it down since

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 05 5:06 pm Post subject:

Yep, anyu other root veg added to the spuds is good, I also use finely sliced & fried leeks or spring greens, but my favourite is probably either creme fraiche or soft goat's cheese mashed in with pepper. Isn't mashed spud just yummy?

In Wales (at least this bit) we have Stwmp Meip which is mashed spud and swede, with the balance in favour of the latter, which is totally overbalanced by the amount of butter! Lashings and lashing thereof and well seasoned. Who says we're straight-laced?

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 05 8:31 pm Post subject:

I absolutely adore mashed potato. We use a metal masher from Tesco's. I like to make sure the potatoes are dry and give 'em a good bashing and then add lots of butter (naughty, but I don't care!!!).

In our neck of the woods people tend to mash turnip with carrot - but I prefer them separate.

I have used cream cheese in mashed potato or grated cheese.

I just admit nutmeg does enhance the flavour slightly.

I also like pan fried potato with blue cheese sauce. Par boiled potatoes, sliced and then fried in the pan, add cream and roquefort. Lovely, first had that in Dublin somewhere in Temple Bar (can't remember exactly where - guinness to blame!)

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 05 9:32 am Post subject:

Right, still not got a new implement but here is the latest in my hunt for the perfect mash (we had a stew last night...mmm...)

- the rumour about the hand blender is true, it does turn it in to something exactly like glue (there's always one who has to see for themselves, isn't there? I only put half a potato in to a jug and tried it though, so I'm not so daft as I look. And on the bright side I might have solved Jema's what to stick wine labels on with problem

)

- because I thought the handblender thing wouldn't work I cut up the potatoes quite small - perhaps slightly bigger than one inch cubes - as I thought this would stop them from over cooking on the outside while still being hard on the inside. It seemed to work well.

- then I followed a combination of people's advice here, drained spuds well in colander, put back on turned off hob, and covered with tea towel for a few minutes (timing - until I got too hungry).

- then I just beat them up a bit with the wooden spoon and some butter

And somehow wound up with a very convincing plate of mash with no lumps or hard bits in it, that went very very well with the stew. Yum.

So my contribution to this important issue is, cut up your spuds in to equalish smallish lumps to cook evenly. And definitely dry them well.

Mmmmmm.

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 4:08 pm Post subject:
I don't use a masher or ricer, just a fork and a bit of butter and milk. Sometimes I add chives, but I like my potato to taste of potato. It is important to use a good potato - I use bintjes from a local farm, which are fantastic and dirt cheap: 20c per Kg.

Marigold123

Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 5:04 pm Post subject:

I don't think I have the stamina to mash spuds for 4 or 5 people with a fork. I don't know what I'd do if my masher suddenly snapped mid-squash!

I made a delicious shepherds pie with some organic lamb mince (going cheap at Asda) a few days ago. I put carrots in with the mince and cooked leeks with the potato and mashed them together before putting on top of the mince. It was really good!

I only started adding veg to my spuds about a year ago, and I would never have thought of using leeks if I hadn't seen it on here, so thanks, and keep mashing those tatties!

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 8:36 pm Post subject:
We are a masher family here too, unless I am doing piped duchesse potatoes then I use the ricer. If I am mashing I add salt, pepper, butter and milk (creamy) and whip it at the end with a wooden spoon.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 8:44 pm Post subject:

we grew Cara last year and that made very watery mash, so I've King Edward chitting in the store at the moment.

The local pub does fab mash, with parsley in it and I suspect some cream. Its very light and fluffy, not stoggy. Must ask their secret. Due a table this weekend, mmm.. nestling on the top of the mash is a chicken breast stuffed with sundried tomato and then there is a cream and chive sauce over the lot...sigh...

judyofthewoods

Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire

Posted: Tue Mar 08, 05 11:34 pm Post subject:
I do mine with a little bit of salt, butter and milk to get the right thickness. Found the best masher - one with a handle across the top like a spade handle, so you can push down centrally, makes it soooo much easier to mash.

JonO

Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Posts: 119
Location: South Birmingham

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 12:04 am Post subject:
Hand mashing all the way, a bit of butter and a bit of cheese, and that magic ingredient that everyone else seems to have missed out ! A touch of curry powder... try it (You'll never look back !)

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Tue May 31, 05 10:59 am Post subject:

The nice people at Lakeland have been sending out £3 voucher which nearly covers their postage, so I took it as a sign that I should get myself a can opener (alleged lifetime guarantee and it works, it works, it's not much to ask of a can opener is it?) and a ricer. Unfortunately dinner plans don't allow use of ricer until next Friday so I can't give my verdict yet (although it's much bigger than it looked in the catalogue

)

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 05 9:01 pm Post subject:

Taaa daaaa! I'm very pleased with the ricer. I don't know what the fuss is about it going cold while you process it...I did enough for two extremely piggily generous servings (following a mash drought) and some left over for a destiny yet to be determined; it was still very hot, even though I washed the ricer before eating because mashed potato can be a nightmare to wash up if left too long.

Not much of a surprise because boiled potato is not the world's most resistant material

And it was indeed very smooth (used the smallest thingy but don't think I needed to, I think the "choice" is probably unnecessary). I would say it's rather difficult to store but not hard to wash up and well worth it for the effort.

Verdict - ooh arr to ricers. Wow, I feel like Which?

Haddock

Joined: 24 Apr 2005
Posts: 81
Location: Marburg, Germany

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 05 10:12 pm Post subject:

JonO wrote:

Hand mashing all the way, a bit of butter and a bit of cheese, and that magic ingredient that everyone else seems to have missed out ! A touch of curry powder... try it (You'll never look back !)

I like the sound of that

otatop

Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Posts: 1425
Location: North London

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 05 11:03 pm Post subject: Mashed potatos
We love mashed spuds. Generous with the butter, milk and ground black pepper. And a grate of nutmeg. Sometimes, if it's with fish or chicken I do grated lemon zest instead of the nutmeg. And I usually do twice as much as we need so that we can have "cheesy pototo bake" the following day.

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