4 January 2008

Six Tips for Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Chives

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
I can't start 2008 off without one of my favourite potato recipes. For those of you who know me potatoes could be my life. They are certainly my favourite food group and I have never met a potato I didn't like. I know... I always say that!!! This is also my first favourite recipe of 2008.

This is the mashed potato recipe I use whenever I am going to have something with gravy such as turkey or roast beef. It goes so well with anything really and can stand alone if you wish it to. The creaminess of these mashed potatoes comes from the Boursin cheese which also imparts it's delicate garlic flavour to the mash as well. My not so secret method of having really velvety mashed potatoes is to whip them with my hand mixer. These creamy mashed potatoes are a definite winner in our household.



Cooking Light is one of my favourite magazines so here are some tips to make perfect mashed potatoes from Executive Chef Billy Strynkowski. He has six fool-proof tips for making over-the-top mashed potatoes.

1) Firstly, choose tubers with a low water content, such as russet potatoes. The less water, the stronger and more delicious the taste.

2) After peeling, dice your potatoes into one-inch squares to ensure uniform cooking time and make them easier to mash. You can dice them up to a day ahead, store in a bowl of cold water and hold in the refrigerator until ready to boil.

3) Place potatoes in cold water on the stove. Never boil the water first; doing so can cause the spuds to release their starch quicker, which can result in mealy potatoes. Pierce with a fork to check if they are done after boiling.

4) Drain immediately. Leaving them in water too long may yield runny results.

5) Mash and add your favorite ingredients, such as butter, milk and seasonings. In this case Boursin cheese, chives and milk. Room temperature or warmed ingredients can help reduce lumps.

6) Serve the potatoes quickly. Allowing them to cool, or refrigerating and reheating them, can produce a gummy texture.

And the best tip ever courtesy of the industrious and talented Wendy at A Wee Bit of Cooking ....


7) Make more mash than you need so you have leftovers to fry into potato cakes the next day!! :))

**Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Chives**

10 medium size potatoes
1/3 cup snipped chives, about 1 bunch
1 cup milk, preferably 2 per cent or homogenized
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white or freshly ground black pepper
½ cup crumbled peppery or garlic-flavoured Boursin cheese

Peel potatoes and cut in half. Place in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Place over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce hear to medium-low and boil gently, partially covered, until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, snip chives. Then drain potatoes. Return to saucepan or bowl. Mash using a potato masher or put potatoes through a ricer. (The not so secret way for me to mash my potatoes is to whip them with my hand mixer into a creamy and delicious mass). Heat milk in microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir into potatoes with butter, salt, pepper, chives and Boursin cheese. If potatoes are not warm enough, stir over medium-low heat or microwave on medium.

Serves 8 - 10

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for the "heads up" on mashed potatoes...you'd be surprised how often people *^%(* it up!

    I also add 1 clove of garlic per potato during boiling and mash them up too!

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  2. Yum. Mash is great. Can I add another tip?
    7. Make more mash than you need so you have leftovers to fry into potato cakes the next day! :)

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  3. Don't you just love Cooking Light! I have a subscription and look forward to it every month. Adding the Boursin Cheese, oh my gosh, I can eat a tub of that all by itself!
    Photo looks great Valli!

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  4. I love all of the tips!! I am a potato lover as well, but unfortunately, my husband doesn't love them as much as I do. At least he's not like my brother - poor guy is allergic to potatoes!

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  5. Is that mashed potato with gravy I see there? YUMM!!!!

    Cheers
    David

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  6. Oh yeah! Our favorite too, kids often ask for it.I also love smashed Potatoes they serve in the restaurant with red skin on! YUM!
    I had a little Garlic powder too if not using cheese. Looks great with gravy.
    Have a great weekend Valli, hope you had a great start for 2008!:)

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  7. I do love potates too! Never bought a prepared supermarket smashed potatoe package.
    Yours look fantabulous!!!

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  8. OMG, potatoes and Boursin? Count me in. And Wendy, speaking for myself I DO make more mash than we need; at least twice as much. But leftovers? What leftovers?

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  9. Always the perfect side dish. I always make far too much...because somehow, its ironically never enough. And good call on the boursin cheese--I love the stuff, but hardly ever use it.

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  10. Creamy mashed potatoes are the best! I like the sound of the garlic Boursin cheese. I will have to look for some.

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  11. Hi Valli, thanks for all those tips. I'll have to pass it on to my man since he is in charge of potatoes in our kitchen. He makes excellent oven potato chips.

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  12. Good tips, Valli :)
    Valli, when I click on your name in my comments it goes nowhere :(
    It's not linkable.

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  13. It works now, Valli! Everything's AOK!

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  14. I like the boursin cheese addition in the potatoes Val, sounds really yummy!

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  15. Thanks for all the mashed potato tips! :) The best one being to add Boursin to them. I've never thought of that before, though I have added cream cheese. I've only had Boursin once actually and now have a reason to get it! Great photo.

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