How to make mashed potatoes?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The dish we are talking about today is very popular in our country. Mashed potatoes are a versatile dish enjoyed by millions of people every day. It can be combined with anything: with fish, cutlets, meat, eggs, milk, herbs and cream. It all depends on the personal choice of each of us. Here is an article on how to make delicious mashed potatoes right in your kitchen.

History of mashed potatoes

We all know Mom's delicious puree since childhood, but have you ever wondered where it came from?

It must be said that the word puree from French translates as "pulverized, pure." For the first time, mashed potatoes were mentioned in the autobiographical book of the doctor Alexander Exkvemelin "Pirates of America". The author in it talked about the repeated raids of sea robbers, robberies and battles, as well as about the traditions and eating habits of the local population. Here is what the author himself wrote:

Potatoes are eaten for breakfast and boiled ina small amount of water, tightly closing the vessel with a rag. After half an hour, it ripens and tastes like chestnuts, but is eaten with bread, seasoned with a sauce of lemon juice, lard and Spanish pepper. A special drink is also prepared from potatoes. To do this, the tubers are peeled, cut, poured with water, and after a few days the fermented mass is filtered through a rag, getting a sour-tasting drink, very aromatic and he althy. Planters call this drink "mabi" and learned how to prepare it from local Indians.

As everyone knows, potatoes come from South America. It's no secret that wild potatoes are bitter, so the Peruvian Indians came up with their own way to get rid of the bitter taste. Surprisingly, they scattered the potatoes on the bare ground and waited for quite a long time. Under the sun and sometimes rain, the potatoes were fried and soaked, after which the women trampled them with their feet, thereby turning the potatoes into a kind of gruel, freeing them from the peel. However, an unusual dish was obtained, which the Indians called "chuno" and were happy to eat with the whole tribe. From here came the beloved puree, the recipe of which was undoubtedly changed by the Europeans. To this day, it is a universal food for every person.

Which potato is suitable

Many housewives are wondering how to cook delicious mashed potatoes. And it's safe to say that potatoes really affect the taste of the dish. So, to get airy anddelicious mashed potatoes, you need to choose starchy varieties, that is, round potatoes with a light skin. It is not recommended to take red-skinned potatoes, as they do not boil well, lumps may be present in the mashed potatoes. After all, starchy potatoes boil much better, resulting in a great consistency.

What can I put in mashed potatoes

It seems quite obvious that potatoes, milk or cream are put in classic mashed potatoes. However, one can argue here, because you have the opportunity to diversify it and add a few other ingredients there. For example, by adding a few sprigs of thyme, rosemary or other herbs, you can easily get a fragrant and tasty dish. It will be useful butter or olive oil, which will add airiness. At the end of the day, it's not worth the money, so it's best to go for high-fat butter if you really want a gourmet puree.

Some housewives use grated cheese, natural yogurt or sour cream as an additive. In general, fried onions, raw eggs, mushrooms, fresh herbs - all these ingredients will only improve the taste of your puree, so feel free to experiment.

To make mashed potatoes more varied not only in taste but also in color, boil potatoes together with beets, pumpkins or carrots. An unusual color is ready, and the surprise of your friends or relatives is definitely guaranteed.

Cooking secrets

It seems that the recipe for making mashed potatoes is elementary simple, but it would be useful to learn somesecrets that will help make this dish tastier, to achieve a truly perfect taste. So, write down in your notebooks interesting tips on how to make mashed potatoes in a completely normal way, achieving a pleasant taste.

1. Potatoes should never be sprouted, because, as a rule, a bitter aftertaste occurs. Choose tubers with a dense skin and high starch content. It is advisable to use mature potatoes, then lumps will not appear during cooking. There is a popular method that will allow you to find out if there is a lot of starch in a potato: cut it into two parts and rub it against each other. Sticky halves indicate that there is actually enough starch in the tubers. Without hesitation, take this variety.
2. After peeling the potatoes, immediately start mashing the potatoes and do not leave them in cold water, as this will significantly affect the taste of the dish.
3. Despite the fact that in our time there are a lot of techniques that greatly simplify cooking, this dish is best obtained if you do everything yourself. Take a wooden crusher instead of a mixer or blender, only in this way you will achieve the unique taste of handmade puree. Just remember that potatoes should not be crushed, but beaten.
4. You can often hear that the color of mashed potatoes is affected by milk, which must be necessarily hot. However, this is not quite true. The color is actually affected primarily by the potato variety. So don't be indignant if the puree turns gray, even if you warmed up the milk well.
5. If you start boiling potatoes in cold water, then its middle may simply remain raw, and some of the starch will go into the water, which will worsen the taste of your dish.
6. Remember: first mash the potatoes without adding anything to it, and only then should you add butter, which should not be spared, while puree the mass and add a little milk or cream. By the way, those who are fasting can add almond or soy milk.
7. Don't be afraid to add fried onions, bacon, dill, etc. to the puree.
8. As you know, puree should be eaten immediately, hot. However, don't be discouraged if the puree is left unfinished, and simply use it as a filling for pies or casseroles.
9. To make the dish more satisfying, add egg yolk or light cream to it.

What the chefs argue about

Many chefs are still arguing about how to make delicious mashed potatoes and when to s alt the potatoes? Some say that, no doubt, at the beginning, and the second - argue that at the end. Still others even suggest s alting after boiling water. However, not all so simple! Chefs also have different opinions about whether potatoes should be put in hot or cold water. It all depends on you, but the result should be the same: the potatoes, of course, should be boiled. Check doneness with a knife or fork.

Ingredients:

• three medium tubers;
• butter - 1 tsp (without a slide);
• milk - ½ cup;
• iodized food s alt - to taste.

Cooking classic puree

There is no difficulty in making puree with milk. The recipe is very simple, the main thing is to know some tricks, the rest is up to you.

Let's start cooking. To begin with, wash thoroughly, and then peel the tubers and cut into approximately the same large cubes. In this form, the potatoes will cook better and faster. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and pour hot water, it should cover the vegetable by 1 cm. Then s alt and put on fire, closing the lid.

A lush puree of the desired color will only come out if the milk is hot. While your potatoes are cooking, bring the milk to a boil, but do not boil any further.

After your potatoes are cooked, drain the water and put them in a colander. Let it dry a little and drain the water, then place it in a saucepan and heat for 2-3 minutes. on the stove. As a result, unnecessary liquid will evaporate. Remember that the hotter the potato, the easier it is to mash it.

Since the puree is recommended to be prepared "by hand", take a pusher with holes and start whisking, alternately adding hot milk and butter. Mix well and better spend more time on it, then you will never regret it. The puree should be fluffy and appetizing.

At the end, you can add various spices to make the dish more enjoyable. Consider all the subtleties and secretscooking, that's when you'll know how to make delicious mashed potatoes for your family.

Pure for kids

As a child grows, so does his diet. At the age of six months, only mother's milk is no longer enough for him. Therefore, a huge number of mothers are already preparing in advance to start introducing complementary foods for their baby. Usually, for the first vegetable food, safe, hypoallergenic and, most importantly, high-quality foods such as carrots, potatoes and cauliflower are required. Older children can already try zucchini, pumpkin and beets. Despite the fact that vegetables should be added to the child's diet gradually, soon it will be possible to make mashed potatoes from different vegetables.

Vegetable puree for first feeding

How to prepare mashed potatoes for feeding? It is absolutely simple, and the technology is quite a bit different from the classic puree recipe. Take carrots, potatoes and cabbage.

First of all, vegetables must be washed in warm water, peeled and cut into small pieces. Pour a small amount of water into a saucepan so that they retain their beneficial properties, put carrots and cabbage in it and cook over low heat with a lid on. Then add potatoes and continue cooking. As soon as the vegetables are cooked, drain the broth into another bowl. Next, you need to wipe them through a sieve, dilute the puree with a decoction and mix until a soft consistency. Bring the dish to a boil, stirring occasionally, then add a little butter.

Monitor the quality of products, andyour baby will be happy.

Multi-component vegetable puree for babies

Now we will look at how to make mashed potatoes for babies.

Ingredients:

• 1 potato tuber;
• a third of a carrot;
• a third of beets;
• cabbage leaf;
• 1 tsp finely chopped greens;
• 1/8 of an onion;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• ½ tsp s alt.

All the above vegetables, except potatoes, thoroughly wash, cut and stew in hot boiled water. After the vegetables are almost ready, add chopped potatoes to them and simmer until the products are completely cooked. At the end, add butter, s alt and milk. It remains only to make puree: rub them through a sieve and mix well until the consistency of sour cream.

The dish is ready. Now you know how to make baby puree, so you can feed your baby with such he althy vegetable puree with pleasure.

Mashed cheese in a blender

As you know, you can add anything to the puree, as long as you are satisfied. This time you've got information on how to make mashed potatoes, and with cheese, which undoubtedly adds a delicious taste to the dish.

For this recipe you will need:

• 1 kg potatoes;
• ¼ kg of cheese;
• 2 tbsp. l. butter;
• pepper and s alt;
• 2 garlic cloves.

Coarsely chop the potato tubers, then send them to boil in boiling water and s alt immediately. Next, drain the water, dry the potatoesand mash to a puree. Then grate the cheese, and fry the chopped garlic for 3-4 minutes. in a skillet, transfer the puree to a blender bowl. So, add the grated cheese and fried garlic to the potatoes and beat well.

Dish is ready! Indeed, quite quickly and tirelessly. This recipe is suitable even for children who love mashed potatoes.

Original mashed potatoes

How to cook mashed potatoes, now it's clear. But what can be done from the puree itself, if it is left, but you don’t want to warm it up? Below is the answer to this question.

Cutlets

In fact, excellent cutlets are obtained from yesterday's puree. All you need:

• 600g ready mashed potatoes;
• 1 egg;
• 50 g flour;
• s alt, pepper;
• greens;
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs;
• vegetable oil.

The recipe is quite simple. Mix the egg, chopped herbs, flour, s alt and pepper. We make cutlets and dip them in the breading mixture. It remains to fry on both sides - and the cutlets are ready!

Flatcakes

It must be said that puree pancakes differ from regular pancakes only in that they have a more crispy crust. We will need:

• 2 tbsp. puree;
• 1 onion;
• 1 egg;
• s alt, pepper;
• vegetable oil.

Beat the egg and chop the onion, then add them to the puree, which must be s alted and peppered. Mix until smoothmasses. We make small cakes, no more than 2 cm thick, and fry over low heat in a pan on both sides.

Pancakes from puree are perfect for breakfast or dinner. Serve them with your favorite sauces, ketchup or sour cream.

Potato balls

Very unusual, quite tasty and very beautiful side dish. It is suitable for both meat and vegetable and fish dishes.

Ingredients:

• 700g puree;
• 1 egg;
• 100 g flour;
• s alt;
• breadcrumbs;
• vegetable oil.

Beat the egg with a fork. Roll the puree into balls (size of your choice) and roll in flour, and then dip in the egg. Next, roll the balls in the breading mixture. Fry them on both sides, preheating a frying pan with vegetable oil. When the potato balls are ready, take them out and put them on a napkin or paper to drain excess fat. Feel free to bring it to the table. Bon appetit!