Potatoes, two or more ways

I suppose there is someone out there who doesn't like potatoes. Granted, there are versions of potatoes that some of us may not care for , but is there anyone who doesn't like them generally?

In terms of the "starch" component of a meal, potatoes take longer to make than just about anything else. Couscous is ready in five minutes, rice takes twenty, pasta takes about fifteen, and potatoes? Well, if you bake them, it can take a while. But... well, they are good.

Yesterday, I posted a recipe for making meatloaf. Now, if you want to make meatloaf, you're not going to think twice about the time it takes (by the way, it was DAMN good). In the time that the meatloaf is cooking, you can make up a batch of really good mashed potatoes. In fact, you can make up more than one batch of truly good mashed potatoes. As we did. Lemme 'splain.

Just about everyone who cooks makes mashed potatoes. And no one makes them the same way. The wonderful Union Square Cafe', for a while, had about seven different variations on how to make them. And when you talk to people, you'll get different recipes. Ultimately though, they all start the same way: and if you think I'm going to say "you have to boil the potatoes, " well, WRONG. That's the second step.

The first step is buying the potatoes. Not as easy a task as you might think. Potatoes are available all year round, but don't let that fool you into thinking that potatoes do not have a season: they do. Now, in spring, you'll see the fingerlings: the wonderful little ones. These are great in another recipe I will give you, but if you try to use fingerlings for mashed potatoes, you will curse like a sailor. They are TOO MUCH DAMN WORK. The potatoes that you will find, later in the year, the big, bulky ones and the ones that weigh about 4 ounces each, are the ideal size for mashed. Just about any variety will do EXCEPT the red skinned ones. That is a very big generalization, but it works for me. Most red skinned potatoes have a starch composition that makes them better as boilers, and slicers for potato salad. If you try to mash them, you will "smash" them, and they are really good, but you will not get a true mash. My favorites are yukon golds, but if you use "idahos" or anything like that , you'll be fine. If you really feel creative and want to use the newer, (to us), Peruvian "blue" potatoes, by all means. I like them, but I admit to not being able to get over that color on my plate.

People will argue over the very next step, which is prepping them for boiling. True health food afficionados will tell you to wash them, get rid of any eyes (and if there are eyes on the potatoes, you shouldn't have bought them), and don't peel them. They will tell you about nutrients in the skin, the fiber you add, and all that. It's all true.

I peel them. I like it better that way. It's your choice. In any event, cut the potatoes into chunks. You don't have to dice to the point of a fine mirepoix or something like that, but do cut them into smallish chunks . I never make less than 2 pounds of mashed potatoes, because otherwise, it looks like you're being chintzy. You don't want that.

Ok, so whether you peel em or not, put them in a pot and JUST cover them with water. In my experience, this is a place where people make a major mistake. There is a belief that you have to cover the potatoes with "ample" water. You can use lots of water, but if you do that, the subtle flavor of the potato "per se" will get diluted in the water. You don't need all that water. All you have to do is just cover them. Use COLD water. Then , for 2 pounds of potatoes, add a tablespoon of salt. Bring the pot to a boil, uncovered, and then simmer the potatoes. For how long? Ah, this is something you just have to test. You want the potatoes nice and soft. So soft that a knife will go through like butter. When you have that, take about a cup of the water and put it to the side. If you like to bake, or if you're going to make soup in the near future, drain the water and save it. Potato water gets bread to rise in a way plain water doesn't. And that salty, starchy liquid makes a great vegetable stock. "Waste not, want not,' if ya know what I mean.

After you've drained off the potatoes, you have to break them down. You can do this by putting them through a ricer, and if you have one, by all means use it. While I have one , I can never find it. Also, this is one of those kitchen utensils that is not versatile. You can use it for ricing potatoes, and nothing else. And it's a fairly big piece of equipment. You don't need it.

What you will need to do at this point is decide how you're going to flavor your potatoes, if you are going to flavor them at all. Truth to be told, Guy and I LOVE unflavored, plain mashed potatoes, with perhaps a sprinkle of pepper over them, or some herbs incorporated into them. However, if you want something richer, well, here's where you have some fun.

Over a low heat, put the potatoes back in the pot. Get a heavy blunt object, like a meat tenderizer or a potato masher (I don't have one of these), and just break up the potatoes. It will be easier than you think. At this point, I like to add a little of the potato water, and keep mashing. When you do this, you'll see the potatoes come together and begin to look like, well, mashed potatoes as you know them. But... the fun part is now. If you are in a dairy mood, put in dairy. To my taste, the dairy component is more important than butter, but most people like a milk/cream/half and half/buttermilk/sour cream/yogurt with some butter. You should add these, and taste as you go along. Everyone has a different point of view as to what is creamy and what is too rich, and you will have to find your way here, grasshopper.

An alternative, for those who don't want the animal fat, is to add a dollop of GOOD extra virgin olive oil (and if anyone other than Rachel Ray is actually saying "EVOO," stop reading this blog). I add black pepper here, but again, this is a personal preference.

You've got two, basic mashed potato preps there. There have been times when I've worked sundried tomatoes, or tomato paste into the potatoes, or basil, or cooked mushrooms. Ultimately, though, the three ways I like them the best are as above: plain, butter/cream, and olive oil and black pepper. You should treat this as a "semi blank" canvas to play with. Sort of a paint by numbers, but without numbers, and make yourself some mashed potatoes.

Now, what do you do with the leftovers? AH. I KNOW that at this point Sue has her hand up and is saying "Shephard's pie," (and she's spelling it correctly too). Well done, but especially if you've been noble and done them plain, well, how about some croquettes?

Now THAT got Sue to sit up and take notice. When your left over mashed potatoes are cold, you will need to add some ingredients to bind them. For two cups of cold potatoes, I add two eggs, and a quarter cup of flour, and stir the thing together. I get a good amount of vegetable oil in a nonstick pan hot, as I form little pillows of potatoes and dip them in bread crumbs. You can dip them in egg, too, before the bread crumbs, if you like. Then you fry them, a few at a time (don't crowd the pan), until they are browned nicely on one side. Then flip and finish them off.

These are terrific with salsa, or mushroom gravy, or just about anything you want.

One thing I didn't tell you and before I forget. Some people do consider putting their potatoes into a food processor or a blender to prep them for mashed. On the food processor, DONT. The blades of the processor cut open the potato cells to the point where a gummy starch is released and it is NOT pleasant. If you try it in your blender, you will burn out your blender.

I do not have an immersion blender, but there are friends of mine who swear by them for mashed potatoes. If that works for you, be my guest. I like using the meat tenderizer, I guess.

So there it is. Now you know what we ate with the meatloaf. Classic combination. They were BOTH good.