Tuesday, October 17, 2006

A minor rant regarding the best way to mash spuds

spud

It would appear that there are at least two "best" ways to cook you spud before you mash it exant at any one time. Currently, I have read that one should boil them with skins on and then blister your fingertips peeling them afterwards. Roast them and then mash also appears a popular choice. How to mash them is the next question? With a ricer? Pushed through a sieve? With a hammer? And then milk or no milk? Cream? Creme fraiche!? Beef dripping? Goose fat? Butter, of course, that's a given. White pepper, the only time it ever gets frikkin used frankly, that's in there but bloody cookbooks can't seem to agree and I'm conflicted. I always swore by the scalded fingertips method. I broke and tried the roast spud. It was great.

Bollocks.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This sounds like the 'how to boil an egg' debate. Personally, I think it is entirely subjective and depends on what kind of result the mash maker wants. Using a manual masher or fork gives a slightly lumpy, more textured result and using a ricer gives a completely smooth puree. Have never tried a sieve, can't imagine it'd be too entertaining!

Ange said...

I've always done mine the most simple way, peel, boil, add butter, salt & pepper (maybe some sour cream or cream if any let overs about) & mash with a manual masher, I've never had a complaint yet & they are definietly not lumpy. Mash is a simple dish so to go to extremes to prepare it seems a bit ridiculous to me!

Anonymous said...

I'm too lazy to peel. I boil them skins and all, then mash them right in the pot with butter, milk and roasted garlic. Plus lots of sea salt and black, black pepper. I like lumps. But then I also like crunchy peanut butter.

Anonymous said...

The best way is the way 'you' like it; personally I peel,cook and mash with butter, milk, salt and black pepper (sometimes adding roast garlic and for special meals substitute milk for cream)

Anonymous said...

I peel, cook and mash with heated milk and butter, sometimes a beaten egg. There was a video on YouTube of peeling a potato but when I checked for it to send it had been removed. T

cookiecrumb said...

Buttermilk and butter. Sort of poor man's creme fraiche.
Also, I run the taters through a food mill (the kind with the rotary handle; not a simple press-through like a ricer).
I've heard you should let the peeled (boiled) potato chunks dry out in a warm oven before you mash them, but WHY?

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... we're still stuck on peel-rinse-boil-ricer-butter-warmed milk.

Seems to work for us. :)