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mashed potatoes
***Updated 11/21/2012. Recipe now at end of post.***
We can never go home for Thanksgiving. Mainly because I work. Our Thanksgiving usually consists of hubby cooking for my co-workers and our friends who also aren’t going home. We’ve fondly referred to it as Thanksgiving for Misfit Toys. This year, hubby is traveling for work and not home until Wednesday night. Which means I have to pitch in. Please note I am inept in culinary skills. Here’s my time line of what’s happening in the kitchen.
10:00 I walk into kitchen.
10:01 I search for recipe.
10:04 I locate it, and realize cooking with a recipe on iPhone is a recipe for failure.
10:05 Print out recipe.
10:11 scrub potatoes per recipe
10:15 darn, I forgot to turn on oven.
10:15 turn on oven
10:17 Cricket the Shih Tzu wants to go outside
10:28 walk-in and realize I left oven on. (Don’t tell hubby!)
10:29 wash hands
10:30 finish scrubbing potatoes
10:33 stick potatoes in microwave
10:34 take potatoes out, forgot to fork them
10:36 put potatoes back in microwave
10:44 turn potatoes
10:45 make coffee, feel success is upon me
10:56 place potatoes in oven
10:58 look for standing mixer.
10:59 confusion, what is a paddle attachment for standing mixer
11:00 text hubby
11:01 twitter pix in hope someone online knows
11:01 facebook update that I’m making mash potatoes
11:02 get snarky response from Mrs. B that it is ‘mashed potatoes’
11:03 why is oven beeping?
11:15 turn potatoes in oven, realize i needed gloves, these things are piping hot!!!
10:35 forgot timer again. get potatoes out of oven.
11:42 opened oven door so I can have a moment to finish reading recipe. I have to melt the butter? Why?
11:43 says to put inside of potato into medium bowl then transfer to mixer. Seems like too many bowls, and dishes to wash.
11:48 hot potato…. hot potato!!!
11:49 rereading recipe again. annoyed it says, don’t under cook potatoes. like one can tell the cook-ness of a potato. it’s not like the tuber is going to tell me it’s ‘done!’
11:54 Cricket has lost interest in my endeavor and is sleeping instead of eating the dropped potato pieces on the floor.
12:00p Potato skins are not like egg shells right? They can ‘end-up’ in the bowl?
12:02 it said mix on high. that was NOT a good idea!!!!
12:03 oops. reread. that’s why there was supposed to be two bowls. i was supposed to transfer half then add half. oops. lesson learned.
12:07 Recipe says heavy cream needs to be hot. Doesn’t that curdle it? Do I just stick some in microwave?
12:16 heated cream. but 3 cups have expanded. do i use all or just 3 cups? help!!! help!!!
12:25 my hand is tired from mixing! i want this thing done!
12:33 done! kitchen is a bit of a disaster! but mashed potatoes are done! we’ll see how they taste… tomorrow!
***The recipe that hubby left me with a specific note to not get creative!***
Serves 8 to 10
Be sure to bake the potatoes until they are completely tender; err on the side of over- rather than undercooking. You can use a hand-held mixer instead of a standing mixer, but the potatoes will be lumpier.
Ingredients
5pounds russet potatoes (about 9 medium), scrubbed and poked several times with a fork
3cups heavy cream , hot
8tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
Instructions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Microwave the potatoes on high power for 16 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the potatoes to the oven and place them directly on the hot oven rack. Bake until a skewer glides easily through the flesh, about 30 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the baking time (do not undercook).
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven, and cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using an oven mitt or a folded kitchen towel to hold the hot potatoes, scoop out all of the flesh from each potato half into a medium bowl. Break the cooked potato flesh down into small pieces using a fork, potato masher, or rubber spatula.
4. Transfer half of the potatoes to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the potatoes on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds, gradually adding the rest of the potatoes to incorporate, until completely smooth and no lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in 2 cups of the cream, followed by the butter and 2 teaspoons salt. Gently fold in up to 1/2 cup more of the cream as needed to reach your desired serving consistency. Once the desired serving consistency is reached, gently fold in an additional 1/2 cup cream.
6. To Store: Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
7. To Reheat: Poke lots of holes in the plastic wrap with the tip of a knife, and microwave at medium-high (75 percent) power until the potatoes are hot, about 14 minutes, stirring gently halfway through the reheating time.
Tags: mashed potatoes, standing mixer, thanksgiving, twitter
Wow, pretty impressive, and pretty funny.
if only i had a camera rolling… it would have been funnier. never turn standing mixer immediately on high. big mistake!
that’s very impressive, not to mention entertaining! Are you going to make potato croquettes with the leftovers?
you know there is no earthly way i can make potato croquettes. it’s too advanced and i have no recipe and i might burn the house down.
another fantastic blog post!
from the looks of twitter today EVERYONE LOVED your potatoes
Thanks Mike! If only there was a camera rolling! I would have had you in stitches. I’m horrible in the kitchen.
Nice. How did they turn out? Hope you had a happy one Sue babe.
they must have been decent. we had no left overs. then again i was supposed to make 5 lbs… but i think 1lb was lost in the great stand up mixer debacle of 2010! we need to spend a turkey dinner together… like the old sg days!
Are you sure we are related? Its only Mash Potatoes!
But glad it worked out ok.
Are you going to make the famous dressing / stuffing?