Mashed Potatoes in Minutes
14 Comments
At the end of the White Wine Coq au Vin post (right here), I promised a recipe for making mashed potatoes in no time flat.
Here goes. A few years ago, Bruce and I were hired to represent the U. S. Potato Board for some publicity events. They told us we'd be making mashed potatoes. In a microwave!
OK, we're both snobs. And were duly shocked. No way, we thought. Gross. Can't work.
Except it does. Every time. (Shows us.) In fact, I now think the nukulator makes the best mashed potatoes, hands down, period.
Why? Because when potatoes are boiled, they get waterlogged. A better technique is to steam them--but it's a hassle. From the microwave, they're as good as steamed--but much faster. Crazy.
Start with up to eight 6- to 7-ounce potatoes. You can use small baking potatoes like Russets or yellow-fleshed potatoes like Yukon Golds. Think of each one about the size of your fist. Just don't use waxy red-skinned potatoes. Wash the spuds and put as many as you want in a microwave-safe bowl or a microwave container with a venting lid.
Did you notice what I didn't say? Do not poke, prod, or in any way rupture the skins. They will seal in the super-heated moisture as the spuds cook.
Seal the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and make a small, 1- to 2-inch slit in the plastic wrap, as I've done--or seal the container and open the small vent in the top.
Put it in the microwave and cook on high for 8 minutes. Then leave the bowl or container sealed in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bowl and you're good to go.
For the White Wine Coq au Vin, I added some milk and Dijon mustard. But you could use chicken broth and mustard. Or milk, sour cream, and chives. Or milk and chutney. Or chicken broth and tons of fresh herbs.
After that, you're one your own: butter, if you like, plus salt and pepper. Ever had them with toasted pecan or hazelnut oil? Ridiculously good. Yes, I use a hand masher. I like the coarser texture. But you can also use an electric mixer. The sky's the limit. And I promise: they're terrific mashed potatoes without much fuss at all. Snob or not, I don't make mashed potatoes any other way.
Reader Comments (14)
Who knew?! I'll have to try this tonight.
This is going to make Thanksgiving that much easier !!!! :))))))) Thanks!
This looks so easy! Sometimes it's easy to forget that some of the best things in life are the simple, unpretentious things. It reminds me of my very practical grandparents, who still grow much of the food they prepare and preserve. As a child, I looked down my nose at mashed potatoes without chunks of potato (or "coarser texture" as you mentioned). I knew my grandmother's were made with real potatoes and had chunks, whereas most of the smooth mashed potatoes at school or at friends' houses came from a box. I never realized people tried to make homemade mashed potatoes smooth, as well!
Well OK then. I guess I've been a culinary snob and I guess it's time to un-snob myself. I'll be making nuked mashed potatoes tonight and will report back. Thanks!
Lizbeth: You took the words out of my fingers. As I was doing errands today, I kept thinking, Darn, I forgot to say that this would really come in handy for Thanksgiving.
Raina and Christine: I can't wait to hear how it works out.
Dinner Table: You're right on. My grandparents raised most things--and we ate seasonally. I thought it was such a drag when I was a kid: strawberries only in early spring, that kind of thing. Now I look back on it as some kind of sign for my future life. And I very much remember kneeling in the fields, picking potatoes out of the dirt from the family plot to store in the cellar for the winter.
M.
This looks so simple and so obvious...why haven't I tried this before? Any big dinner will be SO much easier not having another pot to watch on the stove!
This method worked very nicely and the potatoes tasted great. I steamed and then mashed them right in the same bowl, so there was only one dish to wash in the end too.
Kerry: Yep, one-bowl clean-up. You really can't beat that!
M.
Drat! No microwave!
Sorry about that, Sally. And even something as great as mashed potatoes does not warrant the expenditure!
M.
I made the potatoes tonight with the mustard, butter, and chicken stock. YUMMM! Even hubby who doesn't like mashed potatoes ate them and said how good they were. I've never had mustard in my mashed potatoes before, but I loved the tang. This method was easy and made the best mashed potatoes that I have ever had. No more gluey mashed potatoes in my house. Thanks Mark for sharing!!!!!
I'm so glad you liked them, Dawn. Bruce introduced me to Dijon mustard in mashed potatoes. Yum, yum.
M.
I just found your blog and love it! No boiling, no cutting, and only one bowl to clean? This is genius. THANK YOU. :) I will try them very soon.
Hi, Melissa. And welcome. I'm glad you found us. I look forward to hearing about your making these potatoes--and maybe other things, too.
M.