Some Like Mashed Potatoes

By Author: Clement S
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Ever since Sir Walter Raleigh and his bunch of sea-faring men brought potatoes to England from the New World, they have been used in many dishes all over Europe. French fries, potato chips and mashed potatoes have become part of our daily diet thanks to them.

Mashed potatoes, especially, has had a memorable history. It all started in 1771, where a Frenchman, Antoine Parmentier suggested potatoes as a theme for a competition. He won first prize. He cultivated potatoes and even had a group of royal troops toshield his farm near Paris. However, the guards may have not been wary enough, because peasants managed to steal some from the crop. This effectively launched potatoes into French and, much later, European food.

There are many variations of mashed potatoes around the world. Some like it plain; others add cheese, bacon bits and even wasabi. The French add egg yolk and style them à la Parmentier' in a respect to the man who brought the spuds to them. In England, there are still traditional-style shops selling ‘bangers and mash' and ‘pies and mash', favorites among the working people. Aside from ...
... that, mashed potatoes are included in shepherd's pie, Colcannon and potato croquette.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe!
In cooking mashed potatoes, you'll need one (1) cup of heavy cream (use low-fat cream if you're watching your fitness), half (1/2) cup of salty butter, salt for seasoning and six (6) medium-sized potatoes. The best potatoes for mashing are red and russet Burbank potatoes. They give a rough and unique texture to the end product. If you don't like lumps in your taters, use Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes. These give a even and soft feel to the whole dish.

First, peel of the skin of your spuds. Make sure you cut out the eyes, which are flecks of skin embedded in the potato. If you want a rural taste, you can keep about half of the skin, because the skin contains many nutrients, although they're harder to squash later. Submerge them in cold water to prevent them browning over.

Next, cut them to 2-inch chunks and add them to a decent-sized pot. Pour water until the spuds are entirely submerged. Adding salt is optional at this step. Cover the pot and apply high heat until it comes to a boil. Then ease the heat to a simmer and allow it for 15 to 20 minutes. To find out if they're cooked, poke one of the potatoes with a knife and it should have no problem entering. If the taters cling to the knife, they need a few more minutes.

Drain the water and wait for them to dry, while you heat up some cream and butter in a saucepan at a low temperature. Now comes the fun part; the mashing. Use a food mill or a potato ricer. Avoid mashing with electrical mixers, since they will over-mix the taters and crush the starch molecules. The starch is what that gives the dish its great touch. Mix them to a nice and lumpy mixture.

Stir in your butter and cream into the bowl. The following stage requires your imagination. Add something that suits your mood into the mashed potatoes. It could be chives, thyme, cheese or leeks.

Potatoes are also great for your health since they improve glucose tolerance and shield against colon cancer. I bet Sir Walter Raleigh didn't know that when he thought potatoes are only fit to be thrown into animal feed.