Hey all,

Here’s my latest Food 101 column, which appeared today in the print version of The Orange County Register. It’s not online on the paper’s site, so I’ve posted it below. Thanks for reading!

Potatoes to the rescue
The creamy, mashed dish is a smashing success with most any main course.

By CYNTHIA FUREY
Special to the Register

Stories of superheroes and sidekicks have lined the pages of comic books for ages. Though it’s true that quite of few of these superheroes perform their mighty deeds alone, many of them do have help. The same rings true for main courses and sides: Both have lined your dinner table for ages, mightily feeding your friends, family and dinner guests. But unlike superheroes, something seems amiss when a main course appears without accompaniment. Yes, that beef tenderloin is a glorious spectacle on its own, but it would benefit from an equally glorious supporting cast of characters to share the table with.

Enter mashed potatoes, one of those classic sidekicks that work with almost all protein dishes. Dress them up with Parmesan and mash them until they’re silky, and you can serve them with an elegant roast. Add cheddar with potatoes and their skins, and you’ve got a dish you can take to a picnic or barbecue. Every good cook should have at least one mashed potato recipe in their back pocket, at the ready for when you need to fill a vacant slot on your menu.

I call my own recipe Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes, because it seems there’s a little bit of everything in them. Now, I must warn you, these mashed potatoes aren’t for the faint of heart, or those who want to fit into their bathing suits this summer. They will stick to your like the Freshmen 15 you gained in college, like the clingy significant other you eventually managed to shake off. The red potatoes in this recipe merely act as a vehicle for butter, cheese and cream. (But in the recipe’s defense, that can also be said for many mashed potato recipes.)

What they do lack in modesty, however, they make up for in flavor. For one, there’s the aforementioned trifecta of ingredients that seem to make everything taste better, while also functioning in the recipe as texture helpers: Butter and heavy cream add creaminess and fluff, while Parmesan cheese gives them a bit of tang. There’s also enough garlic in them that there’s a chance you may still taste them next week. (If you’re not a garlic fan, by all means, scale back on the quantity called for below.) A touch of chicken stock beefs them up.

While the potatoes are cooling it helps to have a mise en place (a French phrase that literally translates to “everything in place” or “putting in place”). Grate your cheese, chop your garlic and measure all liquids and spices and place them around your work area within an arms distance. When the time comes for you to add these ingredients, you won’t have to stop what you’re doing to measure, pour or chop. It helps to have a mise en place with all recipes.

Kitchen Sink Mashed Potatoes call for grated Parmesan cheese, but you can substitute with other Italian hard cheeses like Asiago or Romano, or a blend of all of them. Mild and sharp cheddar cheese will also work well. Red rose potatoes are used because they can be boiled without breaking down (like their Russet siblings). It’s your choice to keep the potato skins on or off.

You can make them a day ahead of time, stored in refrigerator and reheated on the stove in a pot or in the microwave in a bowl. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

KITCHEN SINK MASHED POTATOES
Yield: 6 servings

• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch pepper
• Optional: chopped chives or curly-leaf parsley

Procedure:
1. Scrub potatoes under running water to get rid of dirt and potato eyes.
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes one at a time and cook until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Strain pot in sink, and cool potatoes slightly before handling.
3. If desired, peel potatoes. (If they’re too hot to handle, run them under cold water right before peeling.) Return potatoes to pot, and return pot to stove. Add butter and garlic cloves. (The heat from potatoes will melt the butter.)
4. Turn burner on low heat, (this will keep potatoes warm while you’re adding cold ingredients). With a potato masher, mash butter and garlic cloves with potatoes until desired consistency – anywhere from really chunky to almost completely smooth.
5. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir in heavy cream and chicken stock. Add cheese, garlic and onion powders and salt. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Add pepper to taste. Optional: Fold in or top with chopped chives or curly-leaf parsley. Serve immediately, or cool and place in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

– Cynthia Furey

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 6:54 pm and is filed under Fruit/Vegetables, In the kitchen, Side dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.