Thread 21647410

I'm charged with making mashed potatoes for Canadian thanksgiving.

What's an easy way to fancify it?

>>21647410 (OP)
Canadian Thanksgiving?

add creamcheese and chives

>>21647413
It's like American, but better and at a more convenient date.

>>21647410 (OP)
Well you've gotta have your maple syrup, so you should sub out russets for sweet potatoes and make it a desert.

>>21647410 (OP)
A ton of butter. Use a potato ricer. Grate some nicely aged Gouda into it, Beemster’s cheeses are great bang for your buck.

>>21647446
Have you just mistaken the indigenous peoples of NA with Indians from India?

>>21647410 (OP)
100% potato by weight
22% sour cream
11% butter
salt and pepper to taste.

I'm hearing a lot about cheese. What about bacon?

>>21647410 (OP)
As much butter as you can afford. When guests ask you how you made the mash you tell them you worked it for hours.

>>21647482
Anything you would put on a baked potato goes well in mashed potatoes.

>>21647491
Good rule. I'm going to go to the specialty store to get some lactose free cheese (whatever they have), some green onion and bacon (if they have it)

>>21647410 (OP)
Mashed potatoes don't need to be complicated, just add a small amount of the hot water used to boil the potatoes (maybe one glass depending on the total amount, go little by little and see how the texture changes), and tons of butter.

>>21647463
That's 133%

>>21647499
So 33% better than normal.

>>21647410 (OP)
>fancify it
people like you need to be barred from cooking for holidays.

>>21647413
columbus day.

>>21647410 (OP)
roasted garlic and chives. wa la.

>>21647499
this moron doesn't understand recipe percentages.

>>21647410 (OP)
I'm gonna post something disruptive to the potato narrative but if you do this OP you will blow everyone's little Canadian minds at your dinner.

>create a salt and garlic brine with 1tbsp table salt per cup of water
>copious garlic powder
>some thyme
>brine the potatoes overnight, that's right, you're brining these tubers
>pat them dry and bake them until cooked
>remove from oven and let cool slightly
>cut them in half and scoop out all the soft cooked potato
>put the skins back in oven on lower heat to get them dry and crumbly
>OPTIONAL: boil a small amount of turnip, celeriac, parsnip, or carrot (about 1:4 ratio to your potatoes) until very soft
>saute fresh minced garlic with butter
>add potato and other vedge mash by hand until very smooth
>black pepper and chive sprinkled in
>add milk or cream if you must, not necessary
whala

Brown some really good butter
Infuse some heavy cream with bay leaves and nutmeg
Add some raw egg yolks at the end

Of course, you can add some fancy cheese or pureed caramelized onions etc

>>21647410 (OP)
You should use a food mill or ricer to make them perfectly smooth. Do not blend.

>>21647410 (OP)
Just a fuckton of butter. Like, it should be nearly 50:50 potatoes to butter. They'll love it. That's all I do and everyone raves about it.

>>21647920
>50:50

give em the ol Irish guacamole

here are some random things you could try:
add duck fat along with butter
as other anons have said, infuse any fat-based ingredients with herbs/spices
bonito flakes as a topping
hondashi added along with salt
make it a mashed potato + sweet potato mix

I made an asian style mashed potatoes recently that was normal mashed potatoes mixed with poached egg whites (egg drop soup style so its like clumps and strings of cooked egg whites), then topped with tobiko and bonito flakes. when you serve it hot, then add the bonito, the flakes 'dance' due to the heat which I find to be a real crowd pleaser

Instead of going crazy with butter I usually add some heavy cream and sour cream (in addition to butter,) along with chives and garlic

Oh and a REAL secret technique is cottage cheese

>>21647961
cheese in mashed potatoes is a fucking crutch

>>21647963
I'll cram a potato up the eye of your cock if you ever take an attitude like this with me again

>>21647963
Facts. You don't need anything other than potatoes and butter. Lots and lots of butter.

>>21647963
Tasting good is also a crutch. Real men eat dirt and gravel.

>>21647865
how do you -fy?

>>21647410 (OP)
Don't. Just do some butter, some sour cream, salt and pepper. At MOST id say add roasted garlic, but gen x and boomers will find it too flavorful at that point. Onion gravy is a very inoffensive gravy though

I like to leave the skins on

>>21647972
Still needs salt

>>21648004
Yeah, that's true. Although if you use salted butter you probably don't need to add that much.

50% potato 30% butter 20% thick cream

>>21648009
besides bakery goods, no dish has ever been salty due to using salted butter. shit essentially doesn't count
but i've always found salt content/amount is such a cooking pitfall. all things should be salted with the person eating it in mind, and some assholes like way too much salt

>>21648017
Honestly a lot of baked goods are better with salted butter. Perfect amount of salt for a chocolate chip cookie or anything with chocolate, caramel, or toffee.

>>21648016
This anon has it, don't listen to the other faggots ITT, but also add salt and pepper to taste. If you don't have cream and have milk you can use that and more butter.

>>21648052
Salted butter is hygroscopic
Not only does this make it unpredictable for baking, it also means it absorbs smells
Professional/commercial bakers practically never use the stuff, they measure out the salt and add it separately
t.former baker

>>21648052
yeah true, and to undercut myself, after posting i realized a clean cooked lobster or crab just needs salted butter (with garlic and herbs)

but mashed potatoes needs more salt regardless of butter

>>21648074
yeah my understanding was the salted/unsalted butter split was only really relevant for bakers

>>21647971
its not an attitude, its a statement on your inability to cook well
>>21647973
if tasting good was the be all and end all, you'd only eat scientist developed slop

M
S
G

ctrl+f 'garlic' 7 matches across 5 posts. Hmmmm, seems a bit low. Don't forget garlic OP

>>21648138
Garlic is also a crutch. Leave it for the gravy

>>21648143
but anon gravy is the ultimate crutch

>>21647410 (OP)
Don't do anything different to the potatoes!! Leave it as it is and make gravy from the drippings of whatever meat you're serving.
Mashed potatoes are a vehicle for stuff like butter and gravy.

>>21648143
Garlic belongs both in the potatoes and the gravy

>>21648176
garlic belongs in everything including being crambed

>>21648074
I'm not a professional baker and prefer it the rare times I do bake. Don't care

>>21647889
I will steal this idea for my leaf thanksgiving but modify it

>>21647889
baking potatoes just to scoop out the inside for mashed potatoes is the most retarded thing that people believe has any effect on quality or flavor

>>21648212
but it's 'fancify'd

>>21647410 (OP)
If you're making them for a holiday, your mashed potatoes should have so much butter and cream that if you try to reheat them the next day the emulsification should break and be inedible.

>>21648212
it tastes much better agnon. try it sometime.

also then you can bake the skins and use them as a little mashed potato cup :3

>>21647410 (OP)
Just doing them really well is great enough.

Peel the potatoes.
Cook (but not overcook) them in salted water.
Pour off the water, but leave the potatoes in the pan.
Put a decent amount of hard fat (butter or baking margarine) in. Not too much but not too little; experiment beforehand if you're worried about this.
Cover to let the fat melt from the hot potatoes.
Add a little milk. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH.
Mash! You get a better texture with a hand masher. Using a powered machine tends to make the texture far too smooth. Texture matters a lot for this dish.

If you want fancier, try putting some grated nutmeg in immediately before mashing, or sprinkling a few chopped green onions over after.

>>21647410 (OP)
Don't do a goddamn thing to it. I like to add a splash of ranch to mine, but don't fuck up an already near-perfect thing like mashers trying to gussy it up.
For crying out loud, work on the gravy instead. Usurp the gravy duties, since it blends with your masher post anyway.
And stop being cringe. Just make some decent mashers and be thankful.

>>21647410 (OP)
Follow Chef JP's recipe method if you have a ricer which is basically a streamlined Joël Robuchon's mash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL2HeP6LVlk

Also a secret to a REALLY smooth mash is to apply the Jeffrey Steingarten method to pre-cook the potatoes in simmering, but not boiling water, (160F) for 20-30 minutes then run them under cold water to cool them off and let them rest for 30 minutes before boiling/steaming to full tenderness:
>The starch swells and gelatinizes within the cells when the potato reaches 160 degrees; then, nearer to the boiling point, the pectic cement between the cells degrades, and the potato can be safely mashed. Precooking separates these steps. Cooling the potato slices after the starch has gelled causes a process called retrogradation to take place; the starch molecules bond to one another and lose much of their ability to dissolve again in water or milk, even if you later rupture the cells through ricing or mashing and even if you overdo the final cooling a bit. Retrogradation retards gumminess.
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/hqyea7/what_is_if_any_the_science_behind_the_starch_trap/
It's a technique borrowed from industrial factories to make instant mash.
Adam Raguesa independently stumbled onto the technique on his channel by accident years after the fact:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL2HeP6LVlk

Also, if anyone can comment on this Sonny Hurrell did a side-by-side and found that waxy Red Bliss/Cream potatoes made the smoothest mash over Russets or even Yukon Gold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNTfv3PVbHA
BA had Reds in the semi-finals for their Ultimate Mash too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO5qtrG_ln4&t=652s
Anybody make mash with waxy reds and can say if do they have superior texture if you want a creamy/smooth, not fluffy texture?

>>21647410 (OP)
Follow Chef JP's recipe method if you have a ricer which is basically a streamlined Joël Robuchon's mash:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL2HeP6LVlk

Also a secret to a REALLY smooth mash is to apply the Jeffrey Steingarten method to pre-cook the potatoes in simmering, but not boiling water, (160F) for 20-30 minutes then run them under cold water to cool them off and let them rest for 30 minutes before boiling/steaming to full tenderness:
>The starch swells and gelatinizes within the cells when the potato reaches 160 degrees; then, nearer to the boiling point, the pectic cement between the cells degrades, and the potato can be safely mashed. Precooking separates these steps. Cooling the potato slices after the starch has gelled causes a process called retrogradation to take place; the starch molecules bond to one another and lose much of their ability to dissolve again in water or milk, even if you later rupture the cells through ricing or mashing and even if you overdo the final cooling a bit. Retrogradation retards gumminess.
https://old.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/hqyea7/what_is_if_any_the_science_behind_the_starch_trap/

It's a technique borrowed from industrial factories to make instant mash.
Adam Raguesa independently stumbled onto the technique on his channel by accident years after the fact:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXIRe-EIQHQ

Also, if anyone can comment on this Sonny Hurrell did a side-by-side and found that waxy Red Bliss/Cream potatoes made the smoothest mash over Russets or even Yukon Gold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNTfv3PVbHA
BA had Reds in the semi-finals for their Ultimate Mash too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO5qtrG_ln4&t=652s
Anybody make mash with waxy reds and can say if do they have superior texture if you want a creamy/smooth, not fluffy texture?

>>21647413
Harvests are earlier in Canada due to their latitude. Since Thanksgiving is a harvest celebration, they have it earlier than the US.

>>21648843
that's kind of true, but that's absolutely not why the holiday occurs on a different date. it's a completely different holiday.

>>21648858
>it's a completely different holiday.
What do you mean by this? It's turkey and stuffing holiday.

>cut into small pieces
>boil with several cloves of garlic till you can poke it without resistance
>drain water
>add butter and start mashing, slowly adding cream in batches
>salt, pepper, other shit you like...thyme seems to do well
>make smooth and creamy
>garnish with chives or grunions

>>21648874
the origins of the holidays are different.

>>21648888
is a fag

>>21648889
How so?

>>21648901
they're different

>>21648915
How are they different? Both celebrate pilgrims and eat turkeys.

crispy bacon, sharp aged white cheddar, and a tangy dollop of sour cream, all garnished with fresh green onions

>>21647410 (OP)
cream cheese, jalapenos, pearl onions, and dash of lime juice.

OP here. Just bought some nice sharp/aged cheddar and some green onions. Already have the butter. This is going to be good.

>>21649017
NO
CHEESE IS A CRUTCH

>>21649017
Consider a topping/garnish of crushed ruffle potato chips. chopped parsely abd toasted breadcrumb/ritz crackers.

>>21649062
So? It tastes good.
>>21649076
Nah. Parsley might be good.

So I'm not going to peel the potatoes (personal preference...all the goodness is in the skin).

Boil potatoes, add copious butter, add copious cheese, mash it up, top with green onions.

Anything I'm missing?

>>21647889
The potato skins go back in the mash?

>>21649363
sorry anon I forgot to finish that thought - the skins are to be used as little crispie cups to serve the masch in

>>21649372
That's just so much work I'm not prepared to do.

>>21647410 (OP)
Cheese, running all the potatoes through a ricer, fancier types of potatoes, fancy butters, fancy spices, fancy dishes to serve them in.

>>21648921
It gets cold in Canada earlier.

The secret to S-tier mash is to enrich it with instant mash. Makes it fluffier and improves it in every way.

>>21648921
some of our holidays are arbitrarily moved so we can enjoy at least 1 public holiday per month.
so we have thanksgiving in October because we'll have remembrance day in November

>>21647922
50 is overkill, but 25 butter + 25 milk is the way to go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrzs170Wfbc

>>21649373
if you're preparing a whole meal for the day then yeah you gotta prioritize your time and effort. but if you achieve pro-tier multitasking and planning skills anything is possible

>>21647410 (OP)
fresh ground tellicherry pepper or way too much butter

Just deny the charge.

>>21649372
That is a twice baked potato you RETARD

>>21647410 (OP)
Big pot potatoes
1lb of butter
re-add saved starchy potato water until desired consistency
salt n pep

adding milk or cream is just adding water + butter in a more roundabout and less starchy way to feel fancy

>>21647421
Nothing is better about curry

So one of the people I'm cooking for is lactose intolerant. Will margarine work just as well or is that a crime?

>>21650948
i think legally that's assault or poisoning against your other guests, plus butter doesn't even have enough lactose to upset such people does it? probably just a hysterical reaction
just politely inform the invalid that their disability is their own responsibility and lactase pills are widely available

>>21650948
Butter and cream are almost entirely lactose-free

boil in chicken broth instead of water
buttermilk
leave the skins in and add garlic that you crushed a week ago and left fresh air.

if you want to go the true extra mile, research boiling potatoes in salt.

>>21647410 (OP)
I like my mashed a bit unevenly mashed, lumpy so you know they are homemade, with a bit of the skin left in when peeling. It's nice to use Yukon Golds or reds too. I put a raw garlic clove in my cooking simmering water. When mashing, more butter, more half n half is good. You can add roasted garlic, but honestly...thankgiving has a lot of nice things which are well flavored, from stuffing to gravies...it's really a case of too much is not ideal. The mashed is a nice neutral.

My Mom gets out the hand-held mixer, and "whips" the potatoes in the pot after draining. It's a nice texture. She only wants milk, not much butter. Salt and pepper yourself at the table.

If you are making them completely at home, you'll want them in a nice baking dish, and then rewarmed, covered, in the oven.

>>21648212
lower water content = more potato flavor

>>21650981
Julia Child steamed them
They also cook faster that way

>>21650992
microwave fastest

Turned out pretty well. I hope the flavor of the cheese isn't lost.

Sprinkle coarse pepper, garlic, chili flakes and dried leek

>>21647410 (OP)
>>21647463

>>21650948
>So one of the people I'm cooking for is lactose intolerant.
Separate recipe and portion for them. Water or broth mashed is subpar for everyone else

>>21650739
the image isn't the point. I'm just saying you can bake the skins and use them to serve the mashed potato if you want.

>>21648843
I drove around the Canadian countryside yesterday. Compared to the city, the people I encountered (mostly elderly boomers) looked like the nice white folks in your image.

It was amazing not feelings scared or worries about walking, leaving my wallet in my car, or closing my eyes outdoors.

Lots of cute cows and horses were grazing too.

I might leave the city and move to a rural Quebec village. I just need a nice wife first.

>>21653511
Another photo, just to show how idyllic it was, being out in the countryside on a nice autumnal day.

I'm not sure what the point of my life is, but it was so beautiful experiencing this.

>>21647410 (OP)
Step the first: get muffin tin
Step the second: get taters
Step the whatever the fuck I forget: get butter, garlic, thyme or rosemary (dried or fresh it don't matter), and a knife that strikes fear into the heart of the jew, and maybe some cheese (I would choose gruyere, gouda, or White cheddar)
Peel the potatoes, peel them in such a way that the potato itself fits inside a muffin tin hole
Slice the potatoes into coins, as thick as you want, it don't matter, if you want to be fancy be thin about it or don't the end result will be the same
Smash up the garlic, just leave it on whatever the fuck
Put butter into bowl, microwave until melted
Get paintbrush, paint the muffin tin with butter
Chuck mashed up garlic into melted butter
Stack each muffin tin hole with potato coins, drizzling with garlic-butter all the time, chuck rosemary/thyme in whenever it seems appropriate to do so, whenever, fuck it they should cook if they want to tell you when to do it
When the muffin holes are almost full, toss a big chunk of whatever cheese you're using and then cover with potato coin
Continue process until no more coins, being sure to set aside some garlic-butter for dunking all over the filled muffin holes at the end
When muffin holes are filled to your satisfaction, grate up the rest of your cheese on top
Bake for about 20 minutes
Take out, drizzle again with whatever green shit you picked out, maybe a little salt and pepper, grate more cheese on top
Another ten minutes in the oven

There, you just saved Christmas. If anyone says they aren't mashed potatoes, say you thought you heard slashed potatoes and just ran with it.

1lb of butter for 3lbs of potatoes

1:1 ratio of potatoes to butter. Only salt as a seasoning. No need to complicate it. If it's for Thanksgiving there will be plenty to pair it with.

>>21653511
>>21653514
I also like the Ontarian landscape. So flat and so hard so much of the time. Massive glaciers carving out hills, everything new. Feels like home.

For anyone who cares, the potatoes were a hit. Didn't get to taste as much of the expensive cheddar as I had hoped but it was still pretty good.

>>21647491
Even beans?

>>21653545
It looks nice but it's too hot and mosquito filled in the summer and too cold and snow covered in the winter.

>>21653686
When I said "hard" I meant "harsh"

I've ended up alone again.

I actually went through purgatory to be alone right now and this is just more purgatory. I thought I had to break up with my gf of 4 years because she couldn't speak English well, wasn't smart, and had no significant interests. Wedding bells were being imposed on me so she wouldn't have to leave the country. Maybe I'm not being fair, and have high standards in other people's eyes, and I've been ruthless but I felt like I was in a hole. I have freedom now and it gives me hope, but there is guilt throbbing in my chest. Oh the guilt, she was an innocent girl. Like my daughter that I've abandoned. I can't make sure she's safe and happy anymore...

I have 0 friends because once someone starts being consistently negative or spazzy, I drop them.

My family members are insane, I can't visit home because of their hoarding situations or frustrated ocd bpd problems.

I don't like where I am and where I've been, socially speaking.

I'm gonna watch a movie to zone out now. Any suggestions? I just watched Fallen Angels last night. It was nice to look at, I like the colors.

>>21647869
I am thankful columbus opened the doors to the americas. I wish they hadn't imported so many africans tho... Environmental disaster that...

>>21647410 (OP)
Anal Truffles

>>21653700
Zoolander

>>21648640
Just tested this, and red waxy potatoes contrary to popular opinion do make the smoothest mash following the pre-simmer-for-30-minutes-and-let-stand-in-cold-water-for-minutes-before-cooking method.

>>21647410 (OP)
shit ton of butter, whole milk and mustard seeds

>>21647463
Do this then mix in a bunch of marjoram. Trust me, just try it once.

>>21647410 (OP)
I’ll let you in on esoteric knowledge

Roast the potatoes, dont boil, and incorporate a celery root

>>21653700
Sucks bro but it’ll just be a temporary thing, and best not to be around family if they’re toxic. Would you be interested in any sort of volunteer stuff? I think there’s some other Wong Kar-wai movies on the Internet Archive if there’s any you haven’t seen

>>21657692
I tried to tell them and they abused me anon. Over and over again. Where were you

>>21647410 (OP)
>What's an easy way to fancify it?

Don't, nobody likes weird shit, especially on a holiday. Just make normal mashed potatoes.

>>21658364
but anon, for me normal mashed potatoes are lightly breaded, sautéed to a golden brown, lemon butter, shallots, with a teasing hint of Dijon.

>>21657692
>>21658259
I get the idea to roast the potatoes instead of boiling to keep them as dry as possible before incorporating the liquid dairy & butter so they will maximally soak it up like a sponge in place of water.
But I want to combine it with the Jeffery Steingarten pre-gelatinization & retrogradation method in >>21648640 and also written about here:
https://modernistcuisine.com/mc/mastering-creamy-pureed-potatoes-no-fat-required/
https://www.salon.com/2021/10/10/the-absolute-best-and-worst-way-to-mash-potatoes-according-to-so-many-tests_partner/
My oven will go as low as 175F so I think if I put them in there for 30-45 minutes then take them out to cool off to room temp for an hour them stick back in at 375F for 1 hour according to SE:
https://www.seriouseats.com/ultimate-baked-potato-recipe#toc-rule-3-use-a-moderate-oven
Once poke-tender I'll take them out and split them to let out more stream (water) for a few minutes then rice them (also removes the skins), add hot heavy cream & fold, then pass the loose mixture through a tamis/sieve and finally fold in the butter.

>>21658366

Then you get to be the asshole who made shitty weird mashed potatoes that nobody ate.

>>21658366
Don't be a fucking obtuse dickhead. Obviously by your reply we can tell that you KNOW what normal is or else you wouldnt have specified your dumb fucking recipe.

>>21658369
>>21658371
thanks anons I feel better about this whole thing now

Besides straight-up boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes are by far the worst form of potato and only made cause there is a free stove open. Before you reply, you like butter and cream, not potato.

>>21658380
>Before you reply, you like butter and cream, not potato.
WRONG. I like buttered and creamed potatoes.

>>21658380
>>21658382
>Is something wrong anon, you've hardly touched your cream and butter

>>21647410 (OP)
truffle

>>21647499
just scale it down 3/4 and you're back to 100%. ez

>>21647410 (OP)
dip your penis in it

>>21658238
>Would you be interested in any sort of volunteer stuff?
I'd like to help white men who'd appreciate my help. It's rare to find someone worth mentoring, as most people quietly resent you for your help. The disgusting freaks at the soup kitchen I was serving called me white boy and treated me with disrespect. The hood can burn to ashes with the drug and alcohol faggots. The soup kitchen could disappear too, afterwards.

Anyway, I just started mentoring a white man programmer at work, and it's rewarding to see them gradually understand the nuances of software.

I've given $10 to a mentally ill white man who couldn't afford a coca cola on a 30 deg day this summer. He was really sad, just sitting in the heat after being humiliated, not being able to afford a coke with his pocket change. He said thank you, which I didn't expect, and that was enough pay back in return.

It's a privilege to help deserving people. It brings you closer to the heavens.

>>21653700
She was going to siphon your money to her family in whatever country anyway. I've seen it all before.

>>21658932
It always pays to give.

>>21647463
KEK! I've never seen Baker's percentages used for other recipes before. I wonder why?
Looks like it would be pretty good for substitutions or general guidelines for new cooks in recipes that need to be expanded or contracted for servings yield.

For the uninitiated:
3 pounds(1.36Kg.) potatoes would need:
8½ ozs.(241g.), sour cream
4¼ ozs.(120g.) butter

lightly salted water, fresh ground pepper and piping bag finishing would fancy them up nicely too.
If you'd want to go "Full bore Fancy" you may as well just make Duchess potatoes of there will be enough room in the oven for the last 15 minutes of cooking,(I'd check...Really.)

The marjoram can be nice if not overdone, as well as freshly grated nutmeg, and depending on your guests, fresh rosemary; Dry is fine if you make sure to add them early, so the herbs can re-hydrate a little.
Finish with fresh chives, snipped or fresh parsley, snipped

Simply Recipes has a good basic how to, but there are plenty of videos on YT.

>>21658699
Checkin' dat sheeeeit!

Add parsnip, butter and full fat cream. And pass everything through a sieve.