You might think it odd that something as prosaic as mashed potato should require comment. I certainly used to, until I discovered something; something I thought all my own until, most annoyingly, I found it in Marcella Hazan.
This is what I do. Remove eyes and any blemishes from your potatoes, cut them into pieces (unpeeled) about 1 inch square or a bit more - smaller will cook a little faster. Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil, put in your potatoes and cook till a small skewer will ease through them easily. Do you have a Potato Ricer? If not, why not? Saves a lot of bother. I shall assume that you do. Put the potatoes throught the ricer: you will leave the skins behind but keep their flavour and get entirely soft, lump-free mash. Now, add pepper and a good splash of double cream, or single and some butter. Grate into the potato as much parmesan as will salt it but leave it hardly tasting cheesy at all - a whiff only. I'm afraid it depends on how good is your parmesan, and your judgement. Mix well, or beat with a whisk, pile it into an ovenproof dish and put it into an hot oven, or under a grill/fan to just brown. Utterly scrummy and once tried you will never return to old ways! By the way, do not, ever, use that pregrated stuff that smells of sick.
This is what I do. Remove eyes and any blemishes from your potatoes, cut them into pieces (unpeeled) about 1 inch square or a bit more - smaller will cook a little faster. Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil, put in your potatoes and cook till a small skewer will ease through them easily. Do you have a Potato Ricer? If not, why not? Saves a lot of bother. I shall assume that you do. Put the potatoes throught the ricer: you will leave the skins behind but keep their flavour and get entirely soft, lump-free mash. Now, add pepper and a good splash of double cream, or single and some butter. Grate into the potato as much parmesan as will salt it but leave it hardly tasting cheesy at all - a whiff only. I'm afraid it depends on how good is your parmesan, and your judgement. Mix well, or beat with a whisk, pile it into an ovenproof dish and put it into an hot oven, or under a grill/fan to just brown. Utterly scrummy and once tried you will never return to old ways! By the way, do not, ever, use that pregrated stuff that smells of sick.
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