No, not what you might think, no super potent cocktail recipes here!
Rather something a bit more light hearted but still food related.
I’m going to talk to you about mashed potato, that great British tea time staple. Now I know a lot of people who could happily live on a cloud of mash, or at least eat it every day. I however, am not quite so enthusiastic about this food stuff and it falls down the list quite low on my preferred ways to prepare the humble spud. Until an episode of Australian Masterchef some time last year. Revelation. Although it did take me about a year to try the technique!
Tonight I did it for the second time and thought I would just have to share. Now I know what you’re all thinking, how revolutionary can mash be, you just boil the spuds, mash/rice, add butter etc and voila, mash. Right? Oh wrong you are.
This mash is made from baked potatoes. Yup, those spuds we usually lather in cheese and beans with a delicious crispy skin, instead, take that lovely, soft, slow cooked buttery flesh and make mash with it. Save the skins for delicious home made potato skins, chuck them in the fridge for the following evening.
With your baked potato flesh, melt a massively healthy slab of butter in a pan and add your potato, either using a ricer or masher and season to taste. If you’re feeling particularly decadent, add some cream. I guarantee you a smoother, yummier mash than you have ever tasted before. The reason is that the potato is nice and dry when baked and evenly cooked to soft perfection.
One last tip, the variety of potato also makes a massive difference, I recommend King Edwards or Maris Pipers, they’re floury and have a lovely flavour (these are also good roasty spuds).
Now go forth and send yourself to mash heaven!