Mashed Potatoes au Gratin

[Kitchen Witch]

Mashed Potatoes au Gratin

7 medium size potatoes (slightly
over 2 pounds), peeled and quartered
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream, approximately
1/2 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender. Do not overcook. Drain and dry over heat in the pan.
Put potatoes through a ricer into a bowl. Add the butter, salt, and pepper blending well. Gradually blend in the cream until you have the desired consistency. The mixture should not be too thin.
Spoon the potatoes into a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with a mixture of the cheese and bread crumbs. Bake in oven until heated through and golden on to, Or, if the potatoes are very hot, place under broiler until golden on top.

[bennybbc]

This recipe looks very good. What I like is that you use butter and cream and aren't going for the, "Lite" version. I'd rather eat less of a food made with good, (But fattening) ingredients than eat more of a recipe made with low fat ingredients. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of recipes that are low fat but this recipe, or recipes like this are best with the real thing. Okay, to be completely honest I would rather eat more of a food made with good ingredients and that's reflected in my waistline.

Another good thing that you included is the use of a potato ricer. I really love the texture that the potatoes get when you use a ricer compared to pretty much any other method. One problem that arises when people make mashed potatoes with an electric mixer is that it's very easy to over whip the potatoes and they get sticky and mushy. It is possible to use one but you really have to be careful. Using a good ol' fashioned hand held potato masher does work but it's hard to get the potatoes completely smooth and if you do work them long enough it's possible to make them sticky and glue-like. Some people prefer their mashed potatoes with small lumps in them though and that's fine. But the texture gained by using a good quality ricer is nearly impossible to get with any other method that I've found.

For those that might be interested in buying a potato ricer they should try to buy the heaviest one they can find, not the cheapest. The first one I bought was/is commonly available in stores and is made from thin gauge stamped and formed steel. It looks fine but it's too thin and flexible and for me the handle quickly bent. I found one in a kitchen supply store that is made from heavier gauge steel and it's much stronger. It will never bend. It's also easy to disassemble by just pulling a pin. This makes it much easier to clean. Thanks for posting this, Kitchen Witch.

This version Bethany Heavy-Duty Potato Ricer : Target looks just like the good one I bought and it's not a bad price. There's another one that they, (Target) sells on this website looks exactly like the one I saw but it's about $40. I don't see any difference between the two so I'm not sure why it's more than twice the price. Maybe if I had them both in my hands I could see or feel a difference but if I had to order one I'd get the one I listed that only costs $17.

Bruce