Mashed Potatoes anyone?

 A Carb junkie's delight!

Now I could actually envision a Thanksgiving meal without mashed potatoes, in fact I've eaten many a Thanksgiving turkey without the mashed potatoes.  Apparently this is sacrilege. Amazing what you find out when you lift your head out of your own plate to see what the rest of the world is eating on Thanksgiving. Ha! SO I decided post a little sumptin sumptin about mashed potatoes. Now just because I don't usually make mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving doesn't mean that I don't make them. I'm just more inclined to make them for dinner. I'm weird that way!
I like simple mashed potatoes. Nothing too fancy, just the basics. I recently found a recipe online for incredible mashed potatoes from one of  my all time favorite websites thepioneerwoman.com. I cannot wait to try her recipe for mashed potatoes with cream cheese and butter. Yum! You can find her recipe on her website. (I have already bookmarked it!) It seems like such a simple endeavor, cut up potatoes , boil them and mash them with butter right? Yeah well, if only! I have personally made mashed potatoes that have come out like wallpaper paste and are inedible, even for toddlers! (Whom I generally consider  to be little disposals who will eat anything as long as it's covered in cheese! Oh wait...that's me!)  It just took me forever to get the hang of making mashed potatoes. I kept messing them up. It drove me crazy because I didn't know why and I like to know why stuff goes wrong when I screw up a recipe. I think deep down (.. like really, really deep down) I was meant to be a food scientist or something.  Anyway I went on a quest to find out what I was doing wrong. And through the magic of the internet I can share this information with you! It turns out that the culprit was starch. I was using regular Idaho russet potatoes. ( or whatever was on sale that week!) These have a higher starch content than say the more expensive Yukon gold or Red  potatoes. And what happens is that when you boil them and then use a mixer on them ( a big no no!) instead of a potato masher or ricer you break down the cells and they release their starch. The breakdown in the starch leads to gummy mashed potatoes. And let me tell you there is no redemption here, once potatoes get gummy they are just dead. There is no hope. They must go the way of the dinosaur! There, now you  have more information than you ever wanted to know on the subject. If you want to know more go to my other favorite site about.com

Potato Masher

Now you can find recipes for mashed potatoes everywhere but I want to show you how to actually make the potatoes. Let's cook.
You will need:
A bag of potatoes (this works for some families, I need more like two (or twelve) But whatever works for you.
Use Yukon Gold for the best flavor.
Gigantic pot of boiling water, heavily salted.
Pepper
Salt
Milk
And whatever else you want to add, cheese, butter, garlic, cream, chives, sour cream...you get the idea. Alright let's cook potaotes.
Put your big pot of water on the stove with like 3 tablespoons of salt. Taste it as you add your salt. The amount of salt is determined by how big your pot is. One saucepan does not a stockpot make. If your pot is indeed gigantic than add more salt. If it's smaller than a stock pot add less salt.  You  want to taste the salt, you don't want it to burn your lips.Once your water starts to really boil. You are ready to add your potatoes. You will have peeled cut your potatoes into uniform pieces already. Add them to the boiling water and leave them for about 15 -20 minutes. They are done when you can stick a fork into one and it's tender.
Put a colander into the sink and pour your hot water and potatoes into the colander. Shake the excess water off the potatoes and put them back in the pot on a low flame.
Now VEE MASH! ( Inga voice) Get into it, don't be nice! Taste your potatoes. They should be salted but not salty. Add about a stick of butter and mash it while it melts. More butter? Why not? Be mindful that more butter does not necessarily mean more flavor. Add your milk or cream and continue to mash. At this point I'm tasting as I mash, and trying not to lick the masher and get my tongue stuck in all those little openings... Ahem (Never you mind..)
Now this is your dish, you can add whatever you want. Sour cream is nice, or roasted garlic.
Tips:
Try putting your prepared potatoes in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or so and let them get a little crust on the top.
How to make friends and influence people...
Layer your prepared potatoes with cheddar cheese..top with more cheese and melted butter. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and more cheese. Bake in the oven for 45-60 minutes. "Oh my dear gracious..honey call the cardiologist and have him reserve me a room I'm going in!!" Hahahaha!