The Perfect Mashed Potato?

lynzpower

mikeywills wrote:

Always use a hand masher for tatties, I like a bit of texture.

Love mash the simple way with knob of butter and whole milk, salt and pepper, yummy.

2nd favourite is leak mash, where I sweat some leeks and garlic off in the butter until translucent while the potatoes are cooking, mash the spuds and hand mix the leeks and garlic in afterwards. Goes lovely on those cold winter nights with me sausages and goose fat gravy.

Dont let auntie gillian hear you talk about gorgous goose fat and sausages on the same plate!

earthmother

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

Have you ever thought about trading him in for an easier person to please:D

It has been considered, lol - but in every other aspect he's great, and to give him his dues, he is trying with the food just lately, so he has a reprieve

Elliesmum wrote:

does he eat cauliflower?

In a word - No.

The only veg he eats is potato, tinned peas, and tinned carrots (have to be whole, not sliced). But, it's a step up - when I met him he literally was living on beans on toast and cheese slice sandwiches - and he didn't have the 'student' excuse :eek:

Mrs_Bear wrote:

Those new Rooster potatoes (Sainsbury's) are brilliant - very fluffy, not waterlogged and taste great. They also make excellent roast potatoes. They are a red skin potato and have apparently won loads of awards for taste.

Thanks for that - I'll try them. We've been having the Lady Balfour organic spuds from Sainsburys this past couple of weeks - nice spuds, but not mashers from what I now know.

Nix143

I'm in the texture camp when it comes to mash - I dont think I have ever done more than put a big knob of butter in mine with some black pepper - aren't ones that are whisked really really sloppy?????

Or do they taste like the piped mashed potato we used to get at school? Remember those horrors? I used to HATE mashed potato day!

tawnyowls

Nix143 wrote:

I'm in the texture camp when it comes to mash - I dont think I have ever done more than put a big knob of butter in mine with some black pepper - aren't ones that are whisked really really sloppy?????

Or do they taste like the piped mashed potato we used to get at school? Remember those horrors? I used to HATE mashed potato day!

Oh they are, they're vile. The mixer breaks up all the starch grains and leaves it like baby rice - tasteless and starchy. Yuk! I never order mash in restaurants because it's so runny and smooth, and if making it myself I only ever use a hand masher on nice floury spuds (agree Desiree very good - most of the pink ones are, in fact) lots of butter (no milk - too sloppy also) and salt. Not keen on pepper in it, personally.

mikeywills

lynzpower wrote:

Dont let auntie gillian hear you talk about gorgous goose fat and sausages on the same plate!

I know, what I have to do for short term benefit unfortunately they don't always fit with my more traditional farming background...;)

iwanttosave_2

Do you use the ricer before or after you have boiled them?


I always soak my spude for about 5 mins to get out the excess starch, then dice them small to cut on cooking time (less time in water, less nutriants being lost) then drain, add big blob of margarine, bit of garlic and some full fat milk or cream, and then use a hand masher to, well, mash them. I used to use the hand blender with a mashing tool on, but its just extra bother getting it out, and finding the tools, set it up, by the time I have done all that, I could have mashed them.

tiff

Irish potatoes make the best mash, but I dont think you can get them over here.

kittykat500

Milk, butter a little salt and then push them through a sieve! Always hankered after a ricer but never got round to buying one. Anyway dawned on me yesterday to just push through sieve - no lumps!

Old_Joe

If the mashed potatoes are to be used as a pie topping, I sometimes add some
Bisto Cheese Sauce granuals to give it an added flavour.

dannahaz

tawnyowls wrote:

Oh they are, they're vile. The mixer breaks up all the starch grains and leaves it like baby rice - tasteless and starchy. Yuk! I never order mash in restaurants because it's so runny and smooth, and if making it myself I only ever use a hand masher on nice floury spuds (agree Desiree very good - most of the pink ones are, in fact) lots of butter (no milk - too sloppy also) and salt. Not keen on pepper in it, personally.

I don't have that problem and I whisk my potatoes. I think they only go glupey if you don't rinse the starch off the potatoes before you cook them, or if you overwhisk them. My brother had that problem with his, and it turned out he was using a BLENDER! No wonder!

I only put the whisk in for a few seconds and it's all done. Thick, creamy, potatoey goodness.