I love buttery, cloudlike mash but sometimes I want something softer. I use a floury-textured winter potato beaten with butter and hot milk to produce a snow-white mash suited to mopping up the juices of winter recipes. The quantity of milk will depend on the level of starch present in the potatoes, so I simply stop adding the warm milk when I have the texture I like.
You can make a deeper-flavored, more “earthy” version, by melting the butter and milk together, then whizzing them in a blender with a handful of chopped parsley. The mash will be pale green in color.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the potatoes and boil them in deep salted water until tender. Put the bay leaves into the milk in a separate pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and set aside. The bay leaves will gently flavor the milk.
Step 2
Drain the potatoes, then return them to the pan, cover with a kitchen towel, and let sit for a few minutes. Put the potatoes into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat with the butter and a little black pepper. With the mixer on slow, pour in the milk, leaving the bay leaves behind, and continue beating until almost sloppy. Season and serve immediately.
