Cookerati

My husband’s family loves mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. We always ate sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes for our Thanksgiving.  Later on, we decided not to bother with all the mashing, so my mom put the sweet potatoes in the oven whole, and we slit open the potatoes right on our plates, added some butter (which would melt on the hot potatoes) and eat them that way skin and all.  (I may be leaning towards clean eating more than I thought.).  Thursday I’ll be bringing mashed (white) potatoes to Thanksgiving dinner.  I do have sweet potatoes in the cupboard though, because we love them so much, we’ll have them another day too.

Mashed potatoes

• 2 lbs potatoes (this year I’m using red potatoes)
• Cold Water to cover
• 1 cup heavy cream or milk
• 6 tbs unsalted butter
• Salt & pepper

Quarter potatoes with skin on.  Put into a saucepan with water to cover.  Boil until fork tender.  Drain water – and important – put back into pot to dry the potatoes out and shake off any water.  Using a potato ricer, or a potato masher, mash potatoes.  Add cream and butter and stir together(use more milk if you like yours less dry).  You may use a mixer in the end, but just for a tiny bit, because they become gluey if mixed too long.  Makes about 4 servings.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes or yams
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2tbs maple syrup or  1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Toasted pecans
   

Bake sweet potatoes in oven at 400 degrees until pierces with fork easily.  Then take out and using a towel or potholder hold the sweet potato and scoop out innards.  Mash with butter, milk, syrup/sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.   Top with toasted pecans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until heated throughout.

With syrup, sometimes the sweet potatoes will ferment so, if you make a lot and expect leftovers, use the brown sugar.

If you don’t have time for all the work, the fuss and muss then here’s a suggestion from Ore Ida. It’s the no  peeling, no cutting, and no boiling potato solution .

Use Steam n Mash potatoes to make Sweet Potato Casserole with Streusel topping.

1 24-oz bag Ore-Ida Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
Streusel topping:
¾ cup chopped pecans
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cook Steam n’ Mash Cut Sweet Potatoes
according to package directions. Pour potatoes
into a bowl, add milk, butter, brown sugar, and
salt, then mash to desired smoothness. Place
mashed sweet potatoes in an 8 x 8 casserole dish
coated with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine
all topping ingredients, and sprinkle over sweet potato
mixture. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until the topping
is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated.
For more Steam n’ Mash recipes, please visit www.ilovemashedpotatoes.com or here.