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Mashed potatoes classic & variations

Permutations add flair to comforting mashed favorite

Sage and garlic turn plain mashed potatoes into an elegant dish. For the smoothest mashed potatoes, pass them through a food mill. For a coarser version, use a potato masher or fork.

Sage and garlic turn plain mashed potatoes into an elegant dish.

Mashed potatoes, perhaps the most beloved of side dishes, are also a symbol of possibilities. They are equally at home at the simplest weeknight supper or a full-blown Thanksgiving feast.

There are many permutations of the basic recipe – whether made with cream, milk, half-and-half, crème frache or eggs. And best of all, mashed potatoes inspire endless improvisations; any favorite “basic” recipe can take many guises while keeping its essential character.

Minced chives, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, chopped oil-cured black olives, grated fresh horseradish and cracked coriander seed are just a few ingredients used to flavor mashed potatoes.

You can use other fats to flavor the potatoes instead of the usual butter. Pungent, fruity extra-virgin olive oil, rendered bacon fat or a drizzle of white truffle oil are delicious. In the southwest of France, fine roasted walnut oil is often stirred into mashed potatoes at the last minute for a surprising effect. I like to make quick flavored oils by sizzling garlic and sage or rosemary in extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle over the potatoes.

Like most cooks, over the years, I have come up with a favorite basic mashed potato recipe. Mine uses buttermilk instead of cream or milk because it has a natural creaminess and pleasing delicate tang, yielding mashed potatoes that taste like they have a great deal more fat than they do. (I love unintentionally trimming calories.)

I use a fine-textured, thin-skinned potato like Yellow Finns or Yukon Golds because they become extremely creamy when mashed. Mealy baking potatoes work better in recipes that include a good amount of fat.

When I'm in the mood for an earthier version of mashed potatoes, I simply cook small, thin-skinned potatoes or fingerlings in their skin and coarsely mash them with a fork or hand masher, leaving lots of lumps. Or sometimes, I substitute up to half the potatoes in my basic recipe with peeled root vegetables such as parsnip, celery root, rutabaga and parsley root, either singly or in combination, cut into chunks.

Leftover mashed potatoes famously are used in layered casseroles such as shepherd's pie. I prefer to cook mine in a buttered pan until they are crusty to make a sliceable mashed potato cake. It's worth making mashed potatoes just for this.

Basic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

4 servings

• 1 1/4 pounds thin-skinned potatoes, such as Yellow Finns or Yukon Golds, peeled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup warm (not hot) buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a medium saucepan; add enough cool water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Return the potatoes to the pot and set over low heat, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the potatoes dry out a little (too much moisture will dilute their flavor).

For the smoothest potatoes, pass them through a food mill. For a slightly coarser puree, mash them with a potato masher, fork or an immersion blender. Beat the buttermilk into the potatoes with a wooden spoon until thoroughly incorporated. If necessary, add a little of the reserved cooking liquid. Stir in the butter, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serve at once or keep the potatoes in a double boiler over hot water for up to 1 hour.

Mashed Potato Cake

4 servings

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups stiff leftover mashed potatoes such as Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes (see accompanying recipe)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A few scrapings nutmeg, to taste
• 6 tablespoons (about 1 1/4 ounces) finely grated aged cheese such as parmesan, aged Jack or aged Gouda

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter. Add the garlic, cover and cook gently over low heat until the garlic is translucent. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside to cool.

Add the potatoes to a medium bowl and beat in the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Sprinkle the skillet with 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Gently spoon the potato mixture into the pan, taking care not to disturb the cheese. Press with the back of a spoon to form a flat cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake evenly with the remaining 3 tablespoons cheese and a few grinds of pepper. Dot with the remaining teaspoon of butter. Place the pan on a burner over moderate heat for a couple of minutes, until the skillet is very hot and you can hear the cake sizzle.

Place in the oven and bake about 30 minutes, until the top is golden. Slide a knife carefully between the potato cake and the pan and lift slightly to see if the bottom is brown and crisp. If not, place the skillet on a burner over medium heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve the cake directly from the pan. Or to turn it out onto a platter: Place a plate over the pan, and holding the two together, invert them so the cake falls onto the plate.

VARIATIONS

Sage and Garlic Mashed Potatoes: In a small, heavy pan, combine 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Over moderate heat, cook the garlic until soft and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic to a bowl. Add 1/4 cup whole fresh sage leaves to the pan and sizzle until the leaves are crisp, about 2 minutes. Add them to the reserved garlic and allow to cool.

Use the garlic-and-sage oil instead of butter to flavor Basic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes; drizzle extra on top just before serving, and scatter the reserved crispy garlic and sage leaves over. Place leftover oil in a clean, dry jar and refrigerate. Use it on any starchy food, such as beans, pasta or polenta.

Basil Mashed Potatoes: These fragrant, delicately flavored, pale green potatoes go especially well with seafood, poultry, lamb and veal.

In a mortar, pound 30 medium basil leaves with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt to a fine paste, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Alternatively, you can make this puree in a blender to give it a finer texture. Stir the puree into Basic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes instead of the butter in the original recipe.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes: Mashed potatoes are sensational prepared with fresh horseradish root, which is pungent and hot at the same time. They go particularly well with roast beef, steaks and roast chicken. Prepared horseradish, which is preserved in vinegar, produces a less-flavorful version.

Peel a 2-inch chunk of fresh horseradish root. Grate as finely as possible. Stir 2 tablespoons or more to taste into Basic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.

Milkless, Butterless Rosemary Mashed Potatoes: These potatoes are for people who cannot have any dairy products.

Boil the potatoes as directed in Basic Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, combine 2 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil; 1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced; and 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or sage in a small skillet. Cover and cook slowly over low heat until the garlic is translucent and just turning golden and the herbs are very fragrant. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and transfer them to a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork until fairly smooth or pass them through a food mill. With a wooden spoon, beat in enough of the cooking water to make a creamy puree. Then stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons of the oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the rest of the oil over the top.

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