An important side-dish during the festive Thanksgiving meal is mashed potato. Smashed, mashed or creamed, potatoes can add flavor to your celebratory dinner. However, choosing the right type of potato for preparing the dish is very important. If not chosen properly, the essence and texture of the entire dish can be soiled. Hence, you have to start preparing for the dish well in advance, right from the selection of the potatoes to the actual making of the dish. There is a variety of mashed potato recipes today, which includes the popular Garlic Smashed New Potatoes, Poundies and the Chive Mashed Potatoes. Certain guidelines have to be kept in mind while preparing these recipes. For instance, if you want to prepare a dish that requires more of boiling, then go for the White Rose, Red Rose and Yukon Gold varieties, as they have higher moisture content and less starch. Thus, they do not absorb too much water, allowing them to get a smooth texture without turning into glue. Also, to prevent a gummy paste, do not over beat the potatoes or use a food processor. Apart from the basic ingredients, many people also mix the potatoes with turnips, carrots, celery roots, onions, garlic, yams and sweet potatoes. To add a smoky flavor to the dish, you can even add a smoked ham hock, sausage or a slice of bacon and cook till the potatoes are soft and tender. After this, pick out the meat and proceed with the process of mashing the potatoes. Read on to get some useful tips on preparing Thanksgiving mashed potato.
How To Make Mashed Potatoes
Basic Mashed Potato Recipe
Ingredients
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Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- ¼ cup Bacon Bits
- ¼ cup Chopped Chives
- ¾ cup Warm Milk
- 6 tbsp Butter
- 8 Medium-sized Potatoes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly.
- Peel half the potatoes.
- Cut them in half width-wise.
- Take a large pot of slightly salted water and boil the potatoes in them for about 20 minutes or until they can be pierced easily using a fork.
- Drain the water of the potatoes and put them back in the pot.
- Cover the pot and shake the potatoes around for a little while.
- Add milk and butter to the potatoes.
- Use electric mixer to mix the mashed potatoes until they are smooth and creamy. You may add more milk slowly for the right consistency, one tablespoon at a time, if the mix is too thick.
- Add chopped chives and bacon bits, if you want and salt and pepper to taste and stir them well.
Note: You may or may not use chopped chives or bacon bits. You can also use half cup of one of these ingredients according to your choice.