Restaurants turn mashed potatoes into a flavorful dish.
President George Washington and mashed potato history link together in a story of how the president found it too painful to eat solid foods. The pain the president suffered when chewing came from ill-fitting dentures. It is a myth that the president wore wooden dentures. He actually had a handcrafted set of dentures made from elephant ivory, hippopotamus tusks as well as horse and donkey teeth. As a result, Washington enjoyed roasted garlic mashed potatoes, a recipe still used in restaurants today.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Boiled potatoes must fall apart when pierced with a fork in order to make mashed potatoes without chunks.
Some chefs believe Yukon Gold potatoes are the best mashing potato. When boiled they cook quickly and they tend to drain with a bit of moisture still clinging to the potato. In order to get the really creamy effect some chefs will put the potatoes back in the pot and place it on the stove over low heat. By adding cream cheese, half-and-half and butter the potatoes whip up into a smooth consistency that requires only salt and pepper to complete.
Professional Techniques
Anne Burrell from the Food Network uses Yukon Gold potatoes and unroasted garlic because it is not sweet or nutty in flavor. The secret to restaurant style mashed potatoes, according to Burrell, is to not mash for too long. If boiled potatoes are mashed too much the starch level escalates and the potatoes become glue-like and not creamy.
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
For richer, creamier mashed potatoes, add sour cream.
Creamy mashed potatoes are a restaurant tradition with a variety of meat meals. The trick to whipping the potato creamy instead of starchy is the amount of time you spend mashing. The process of mashing potatoes shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time including the holding dish. Some restaurants like a mashed potato with a bit of a zing to them so they add sour cream and a packet of dry ranch salad dressing. The faster you mash the potatoes the less likely they are to turn into glue. Use of an electric mixer is practical for whipping potatoes.
Flavored Mashed Potatoes
Flavored potatoes are a trendy restaurant technique to spruce up an ordinary dish. Mashed potatoes piped on a plate with flavoring enhances not only the presentation of the plate, but the taste of the meal. Emeril Lagasse uses flavored mashed potatoes in his restaurants to easily bring a "bam!" to a meal. Examples of added flavors to mashed potatoes include lemon and parsley, roasted red pepper and feta cheese and roasted garlic with pureed fennel. Infusion of flavors alters the taste value of the a plain ordinary dish of mashed potatoes. The roasted red peppers bring a sweet smoky tasty to boiled potatoes that reflects an outdoor flavor to indoor cooking. Feta cheese brings saltiness, and the addition of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and freshly chopped parsley elevates an otherwise common dish.
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