It is so strange that we are going into the Holiday season so readily. It truly does seem like I just took my last burger off the grill and here we are, waiting to carve our first ham, turkey or pork already. I am going to give you over 50 ways to try the humble, lowly potato this year. For us purists, there is nothing like digging into a bowl full of mashed potatoes, but then again, it's great to use your imagination and spice things up a bit now and again. Give one or more of these recipes a try this year.
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Cover 2 lbs. whole potatoes with water and boil 20-25 minutes or until soft. Drain, and add 1/2-1 stick of butter or margarine, 1 c. milk(either heated or cold), salt and pepper. Mash by hand or with beaters until smooth.
Chunky Red
Use red skinned potatoes but don't mash until creamy, leave a little chunky
Tangy Mashed Potatoes
Make Classic or Chunky Red but use 1 c. sour cream instead of milk and top with freshly chopped dill.
Pepper-Swirl
Saute 2 chopped red bell peppers and 1 t. thyme leaves in olive oil, covered, until tender. Mash and swirl into Classic Mashed Potatoes.
Low-fat
Make Chunky Red but replace the butter with nonfat plain Greek yogurt and use skim milk.
Spicy Chipotle
Make Classic Mash but add 1 T. chopped chipotles in adobo sauce. Garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro.
Olive Butter
Pulse 1/4 c. pitted kalamata olives, 1/2 stick soft butter and 2 T. each of fresh parsley and cilantro in a food processor. Dollop the olive butter on Classic Mash.
Tex-Mex
Make Chunky Red Mash and add 1/2 lb. grated Monterey Jack, 1/2 c. sliced scallions and 2 minced, seeded jalapenos. Top with sour cream and more scallions and jalapenos.
Applesauce
Make Classic Mash, top with applesauce and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.
Bacon
Cook 1/2 lb. chopped bacon until crisp. Make Classic Mash, replace half of the butter with 2-4 tablespoons bacon drippings. Fold in some bacon and sprinkle the rest on top.
Bacon-Cheddar
Make Bacon Mash and add 1/2 lb. grated sharp Cheddar and 1/4 c. each minced parsley and scallions.
Pancetta-Rosemary
Cook 1/4 lb. diced pancetta in olive oil with a pinch chopped rosemary and 2 smashed garlic cloves; drain and spoon over Classic Mash or Chunky Red Mash.
Horseradish Chive
Make Classic Mash but use 1 c. sour cream instead of milk and mix in 1/4 c. horseradish and 1/4 c. minced chives.
Smoky
Make Classic Mash and mix in 1/2 lb. grated smoked Gouda and 1/4 c. sliced scallions.
Mediterranean
Mash Classic Mash with 1/2 c. cooking liquid instead of milk and finish with 1/4 c. olive oil and 2 t. each of chopped fresh basil, tarragon and parsley. Omit the butter.
Crispy Garlic
Fry 8 thinly sliced garlic cloves in 3 T. olive oil until crisp; drain. Drizzle the oil into Classic Mash or Mediterranean Mash and top with the fried garlic.
Golden Saffron
Make Classic Mash and add a pinch of saffron to the milk, heating over low; steep 10 minutes. Garnish with smoked paprika.
Pesto
Make Chunky Red Mash and stir in 1/2 c. pesto. Garnish with pine nuts.
Hummus
Make Classic Mash and stir in 1/2 c. hummus. Top with freshly chopped parsley and toasted sesame seeds.
Fennel
Heat 1/2 c. olive oil with 1 T. fennel seeds and 3 small dried chiles. Saute 1 diced fennel bulb in the oil until tender. Make Classic Mash and top with the fennel and fennel oil.
Italian Cheese
Make Classic Mash, add salt lightly. Add 1/2 c. each grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.
Chorizo
Fry 1/2 lb. crumbled chorizo until crisp; stir in 2 T. paprika. Spoon, with drippings. over Classic Mash and top with scallions.
Rutabaga-Brown Butter
Make Classic Mash but replace half of the potatoes with 1 lb. rutabaga. Brown 4 T. butter with 3 T. chopped parsley and a pinch of nutmeg; drizzle over mash.
Squash-Swirl
Peel and cube 1 lb. butternut squash; boil 8 minutes. Drain, puree and swirl into Classic Mash.
Butternut-Sage
Make Squash-Swirl Mash. Brown 4 T. butter with 1/4 c. chopped or rubbed sage and 1 t. salt; pour over mash.
Simmered Leek
Make Classic Mash. Thinly slice 1 bunch leeks; simmer in melted butter until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Stir the leeks into the mash.
Broccoli-Cheddar
Boil 1 small bunch broccoli florets until tender; drain. Add to Classic Mash with 1/2 lb. shredded Cheddar.
Rosemary-Lemon
Make Italian Cheese Mash and top with 2 t. minced rosemary mixed with the grated zest of 1 lemon.
Roasted Tomato
Toss 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes with olive oil and salt on a baking sheet; roast 20-30 minutes at 450-degrees F, until soft and browned, turning. Add to Classic Mash.
Italian Sausage
Saute 1/2 lb. crumbled sweet Italian sausage until crisp. Make Classic Mash and stir in 1 c. Parmesan; top with the sausage.
Indian Spice
Toast 2 t. each mustard, cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet. Add 1 stick of butter and 1/2 t. each ground turmeric and salt. Make Classic Mash with the spiced butter.
Indian Green Pea
Make Indian Spice Mash. Warm 1/2 c. frozen peas in the butter; remove with a slotted spoon. Top the mash with the peas.
Crispy Shallot
Slowly cook 8 thinly sliced shallots in 3 T. olive oil until crisp and golden; drain. Sprinkle over Classic Mash or Italian Cheese Mash.
Celery Root
Cook 2 cubed, peeled celery roots in 2 c. milk until tender; puree. Make Classic Mash but replace the milk with the celery root puree. Garnish with parsley.
Swiss Chard
Remove stems from 1 bunch Swiss chard; boil 5 minutes and then add the leaves and cook 3 additional minutes. Drain, chop and add to Classic Mash.
Blue Cheese-Walnut
Make Classic Mash. Brown 4 T. butter with 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, 2 T. each chopped rosemary and parsley, and 1/2 t. salt; add a pinch of sugar. Cube blue cheese over the mash; drizzle with the browned butter.
Poblano Pepper
Broil 3 poblano peppers until blackened. Peel, seed and cut into strips. Saute 1 c. chopped onion, the poblanos and 1 sliced garlic clove in olive oil until golden. Serve over Classic Mash and garnish with sour cream.
Wasabi
Mix 1-3 T. wasabi powder with equal parts water to make a paste; cover. Make Classic Mash and stir in the wasabi paste.
Sweet Potato
Roast 2 lbs. sweet potatoes at 400-degrees F until tender, about an hour. Halve, then scoop out the flesh. Mash with 4 T. butter and add salt to taste.
Sweet Potato Pie
Make Sweet Potato Mash, stir in 1/4 c. maple syrup and top with toasted pecans.
Prosciutto
Cook 1/2 c. diced prosciutto in olive oil until crisp, about 6 minutes. Spoon over Sweet Potato Mash.
Pumpkin Seed
Make Sweet Potato Mash with just 2 T. butter. Saute 1/2 c. diced, roasted poblanos, 1/4 c. green pumpkin seeds and 1 t. cumin in 2 T. butter; season with salt and spoon over the mash.
Sweet Potato-Apple
Make Sweet Potato Mash. While the potatoes roast, simmer 2 chopped, peeled apples in 1/2 c. apple cider with 1/2 t. cinnamon until soft. Mash with the potatoes.
Sweet Spice
Make Sweet Potato Mash and stir in 2 t. pumpkin pie spice, and the grated zest and juice of 1 orange.
Curried Sweet Potato
Make Sweet Potato Mash, mash with 1 T. curry powder and 3 T. each plain Greek yogurt and mango chutney. Top with toasted coconut.
Root Vegetable
Make Sweet Potato Mash. While the potatoes roast, boil 2 each of peeled and diced parsnips and turnips until tender. Mash with the potatoes and butter; garnish with chives.
Old Fashioned Buttermilk-Green Onion
Replace half of the milk in Classic Mash with buttermilk and add 4 green onions that have been sliced thin.
Sweet Carrot Mash
Place 2 lbs. potatoes, 2 lbs. peeled carrots and 6 cloves garlic in pot of water and boil until tender;drain. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste; mash well. Stir in 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese before serving.
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