Garlic Cilantro Smashed Potatoes

Garlic Roasted taters, originally uploaded by Kim De.

I don't make potatoes very often. I love them too much. I'm afraid it will start a habit that is too hard to break. So on the rare occasion when I do make them, I want to find a great recipe, and I want to enjoy the preparation process.

After doing some research, I decided to make up my own recipe. As long as you remember to roast the head of garlic in advance, it comes together quickly.

Here. I'll demonstrate.

Garlic Cilantro Smashed Potatoes

1 ½ lbs red skin potatoes
¾ c sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4-1/2 c milk, warmed slightly
2 T butter, room temperature
¼ c chopped cilantro (more to your taste)
1 head garlic
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Cut the top off a head of garlic, sprinkle with olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake 35 minutes or until tender. Let cool then squeeze the soft garlic out of the skins.

Quarter the potatoes. Cover them with cold water, sprinkle with salt and bring them to a boil. Cook for 8-12 minutes or until fork tender. Mash with a fork or potato masher, keeping skins on.

Mix sour cream and butter then add to potatoes along with the cilantro and garlic. Add milk a little at a time until potatoes reach the consistency you desire. Salt and pepper to taste.


Perfection!

Mashed Potatoes with Fontina and Italian Parsley

potatoes, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Please forgive the picture (and any for the days when I post about Thanksgiving food). It was obviously taken after the feeding frenzy.

This was one of the big hits of our meal. This year I decided I wanted to do "traditional" foods with an Italian flavor theme. Lots of research took place (my favorite part of the process) to find the correct components for the perfect balance of flavor and color (I know, I'm a geek!)

This first recipe came from the Epicurious website. It mixes traditional mashed potatoes with creamy fontina cheese and parsley. I didnt do much to change this, except making it a day in advance, reheating in the microwave, and not baking it (due to oven and time constraints)

Great potatoes! I think part of the reason is I do full-fat on the holidays, so this had half and half and butter in it. Yum! I know this could easily be lightened in varying degrees still with amazing results. The only definite change I would make is to boil the potatoes instead of baking them. The results are the same and boiling takes less time.

Mashed Potatoes with Fontina and Italian Parsley From Bon Appétit

2 pounds medium-size russet potatoes
3/4 cup half and half
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 1/4 cups (packed) grated Fontina cheese (about 6 ounces)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F. Using small knife, pierce potatoes in several places. Place potatoes on small baking sheet. Bake until tender when pierced with skewer, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Bring half and half to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Scrape potatoes from skin into large bowl. Using ricer, food mill or potato masher, mash potatoes. Mix in half and half. Add butter; stir vigorously until butter melts and potatoes are smooth. Stir in 2/3 of cheese and 3 tablespoons parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake potatoes until heated through and cheese melts, about 15 minutes.

Chipotle Mashed Potatoes

potatoes, originally uploaded by Kim De.

I love getting recipes from other blogs! I am a frequent reader of Culinary in the Desert – I believe the author Joe and share a taste bud! As soon as I saw this recipe on his blog I put it into my meal plan.

Mashed potatoes are one of those comforting, cold weather foods that I only make a few times a year. The first time each year comes with some of my favorite things: the sun going down earlier, the leaves changing, wearing pants and long sleeved shirts - this week had “mashed potato” written all over it!

This was a great recipe. I cut down a bit on the calories by replacing some of the butter with greek yogurt – I find that greek yogurt serves the same creamy purpose with less calories. I doubled the amount of chipotle pepper because I love its smokiness and it called for corn – I decided to leave that out.

These potatoes were very creamy and the peppers created a wonderful smokiness. It was a wonderful side for the roast turkey breast we had for dinner!


Chipotle Mashed Potatoes (Adapted from Sunset and Culinary in the Desert)

2-2.5 pounds russet potatoes, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 T plain greek yogurt
1/2-2/3 cup milk, warmed
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with water - season generously with salt. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well - place potatoes back into the saucepan and return over low heat. Gently stir potatoes, allowing any excess liquid to evaporate away. Add butter, yogurt and warmed milk Mash potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency - I leave the skin on. Stir in chipotles and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Veggie Night!

Chipotle potato, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Now when I say "veggie" this does NOT mean a meal with only vegetables - it means a meal without meat. I think Bo finally understands that and isnt as afraid of these dinners! (much)

Last night I took a cue from another blogger (thank you Joe) and made Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes. A nostalgia dish that I hadnt made in years - and had never made with chipotle peppers.

It was time for a meatless meal, so I simply left the bacon off these spuds. They spent an hour baking in a 450 oven before being sliced in half lengthwise. After cooling a bit, the potato pulp was scooped out of the skin, leaving just enough attached to retain a sturdy wall. I had forgotten how tedious this process can be, but the potatoes came out of their surgery with nary a tare.

Homemade buttermilk is one of my secret weapons. I never purchase it, as I would end up throwing most of it away. Instead, anytime a recipe calls for the tangy liquid, I add 1T vinegar to 1cup milk and let sit for 5 minutes - and buttermilk is born. I let this mixture ferment while shredding a sharp white cheddar cheese and chopping up green onions and my lovely chipotle peppers. Be warned, depending on the size of your potatoes and the amount you are able to scoop out, you may or may not need all the milk called for. Add everything else first, then slowly add the milk, stirring to see if you need more.

The potatoes and other ingredients can be mashed with a potato masher, or a mixer. Then it is spooned back into the waiting skins, sprinkled with more cheese and onions and baked for 15 minutes.

This was a big hit with both of us, and we were both glad there were leftovers for lunch! Creamy innards, with a crispy potato shell makes the warmth of the chipotles shine. I have no doubt smoky bacon would add great depth to this dish - maybe next time.


Bacon-Chipotle Twice-Baked Potatoes (Adapted from CL)

2 large baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
3 oz (about 3/4 cup) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 Tbs finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Using a fork, pierce potatoes in a few places. Place into the oven and bake until tender, about 5o to 60 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool slightly. Slice each potato in half lengthwise - scoop out the fresh, making sure to leave a 1/4" thick shell. In a large bowl, add the potato flesh, buttermilk, 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) cheese, green onion and chipotle chile - mash with a potato masher. Stir in bacon - season mixture with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

3. Evenly divide the mixture between the 4 potato shells. Place filled shells into an 8" baking dish coated with nonstick spray - scatter remaining ounce (about 1/4 cup) cheese evenly over the potatoes. Place into the oven and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.