Some like mashed potatoes

Ever since Sir Walter Raleigh and his bunch of sea-faring men brought potatoes to England from the New World, they have been eaten 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 imperial troops toshield his field near Paris. However, the guards may have not been vigilant enough, because peasants managed to steal some from the raise. This effectively launched potatoes into French and, much later, European cooking.

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 class. Aside from that, mashed potatoes are used in shepherd’s pie, Colcannon and potato croquette.

Mashed Potatoes Recipe!
In making mashed potatoes, you’ll need one (1) cup of heavy cream (use low-fat cream if you’re watching your shape), 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 meal. If you don’t like lumps in your taters, use Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes. These give a smooth and buttery feel to the whole dish.

First, peel of the skin of your spuds. Make sure you take of 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, though they’re harder to puree later. cover them in cold water to stop them browning over.

Next, cut them to 2-inch chunks and add them to a decent-sized pot. Pour water until the spuds are totally submerged. Adding salt is optional at this step. Cover the pot and use high heat until it comes to a boil. Then reduce it 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 grip to the knife, they need a few more minutes.

Drain the water and allow 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 grinder or a potato ricer. Avoid mashing with electrical mixers, since they will over-mix the taters and ruin the starch molecules. The starch is what that gives the dish its wonderful texture. Mix them to a nice and lumpy mixture.

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

Potatoes are also great for your fitness because they improve glucose tolerance and protect 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.

Article Source: http://www.article-voip.com

Clement is the author behind the mashed potatoes recipe site called Mashed potatoes recipe. Visit his site and see that a right recipe for mashed potatoes can turn this ordinary food into something else!. Visit Some like mashed potatoes.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Home and Family Articles Via RSS!

Additional Articles From - Home | Z-a Articles | Home And Family

	Print This Article
	Post Comment
	Add To Favorites
	Email to Friends
	Ezine Ready

Submit Articles
Member Login
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds

About Us
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

[SAPE ADS]