Thursday, September 18, 2008

Mashed Potatoes for a Change


"Hi Annie,
You say to serve mashed potatoes but don't they contain milk? How can I serve them with a meat dish?"

Mashed potatoes do not have to contain milk. If, however you like that texture that creamy milk gives, soy milk will do just as well.
There are other ways to make mashed potatoes though.
One of the most flavorful ways is to use Kraft or Gefen Mayonnaise .
Boil your potatoes, red, golden yukon or any kind of baker until soft but still a bit firm. You don't want them mushy. Drain them very well.
Rice or mash them as you prefer.
You can leave skins on or off as you prefer. If you have opted to leave them on, be sure you went over them carefully with a soapy(Rokeach soap does a nice job as does Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap) vegetable brush first and rinsed them well.
Now add some Kraft or Gefen Mayonnaise (we love the taste of Gefen) it is pareve.(neither meat nor dairy) so you are safe with it. Begin with a tablespoon and whip it into the potatoes. Add some pepper if you like. White pepper gives potatoes a particularly nice taste.
If they are not as smooth as you like, add more mayo or add a wee bit of soy milk to make them creamier.
This makes hearty and filling mashed potatoes but be warned .. they are high in calories this way. Well, aren't most comfort foods?

Another way to prepare mashed potatoes to serve with meat is to use non dairy sour cream and non dairy margarine. Add those slowly to the riced or mashed potatoes to give them a smooth and creamy texture.

As always, if you whip your potatoes with an electric mixer they will be fluffy and light.
Adding too much liquid will make them runny so go slow on adding any additions and make sure the potatoes were thoroughly drained before mashing them.




For variety, try adding garlic mashed into your potatoes.
Take one pound of washed , cooked and drained potatoes and mash them
Add in a few cloves of mashed roasted garlic. You can roast a whole head in aluminum foil in the oven or in a skillet!
Take the whole bulb..cut off the top so the inside shows a wee bit.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F til the garlic is soft and sweet.
Takes from 30 mins to an hour depending on your oven. Check often for the garlic insides to be pretty soft.
Add a few cloves of this to your potatoes along with other ingredients you decide to use. Roasting garlic makes it sweet but still retains the garlicy flavor.


Adding Horseradish or Crayonnaise to mashed potatoes is also a delicious change of pace. Try it ..add slowly !

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