Last Sunday, while running errands, I stopped at the Honest Weight Co-Op for some supplies. While my car charged in their free car-charging station (yay for Lightning’s Girl!), I purchased some fruits, some vegetables, a nice New York strip steak filet, and some various potatoes – Yukon Golds, common reds, and Adirondack blues.
And last night … I crafted up a delicious steak and potato dinner.
In the past, I’ve made the potato side dish the simple way – open a pack of dehydrated potato flakes, pour them in boiling water, follow the directions on the package.
This time, I decided to make the mashed potatoes by myself. From scratch.
Ingredients needed:
- Several small potatoes
- 1/2 stick of salted butter
- Potato peeler
- Potato masher
- Kosher salt (every recipe needs Kosher salt)
Pour water into a pot and set to boil. Pour some Kosher salt into the water to increase the boiling point. Put the Kosher salt back in the cupboard so it can be used for a future recipe.
Wash the potatoes in the sink. Then, using the potato peeler, peel off the potatoes’ dirty skins. Slice the peeled potatoes into cubes. Toss the cubes into the boiling water. Wait about ten minutes or until the potatoes are reasonably soft. Drain the potatoes from the boiling water and pour the potatoes into a bowl.
Finesse the potato masher out of that silverware drawer (it’s the utensil that, if you don’t take it out the right way, only allows your utensil drawer to open halfway). With the potatoes still steamy hot in the bowl, toss in the butter and mash the butter and potatoes for all they’re worth. Some people suggest adding milk or water, but those people don’t understand that simple butter brings out the full taste of these spuds.
Mash away. Keep on mashing. Mash mash mash. Mash until McLean Stevenson gets replaced by Harry Morgan. 😀
Add the potatoes to your dinner.
And if all goes well … you get this nice tasty dinner.
Mmm. Look at those chunky, tasty potatoes.
Makes you want to break out in song, doesn’t it?
Yeah, see, this is what Bachelor Cooking is like. You make your foods with whatever you’ve got in the house, eat ’em all up – yum – and figure out what tomorrow’s meal might be.
I’m thinking some royal food for tomorrow. Burger King, Dairy Queen… 😀
Chuck The Writer 
Potato masher – good on you for incorporating exercise! Most folks go right for the electric mixer (haven’t owned one in 30 years).
Suggestions, if I may:
Maybe save a step and skip the initial wash. Just peel the dirty spuds & rinse them after peeling.
Milk or half & half IMHO is more for a creamier texture than taste.
Add salt before mashing, and maybe a tap or three of garlic powder.
Bigger plate – gotta make room for a little pile of peas, carrots or mixed veggies.
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I happen to like the skins, even in mashed potatoes. Gives them character and a bit of color.
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Don’t bother adding salt to the water; the amount you’d need to add to actually raise the boiling point … you wouldn’t want to eat the potatoes after. You mix the salt and pepper in to taste as you mash. Yes, something else I have decades of experience with.
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