Potato has become so firmly entrenched in our lives and diet that it is hard to imagine that it appeared on the Russian table relatively recently. Peter the Great brought him to Russia through his “window to Europe”. That's just people did not immediately accept it. But the cunning emperor found a way out here too: he ordered to plant the fields with this overseas root crop and to give them serious protection, but to remove it every night. Then the stereotype worked: if something is guarded, it means useful. If useful, but not guarded, you can carefully pick it up for yourself. As a result, after a while all the fields were completely plundered, and for many years the Russians fell in love with the taste of potatoes. As a result, today it is cooked in all kinds: boiled, fried, stewed, just not added to desserts. Although, there are such recipes.
My husband is very fond of mashed potatoes, so much so that he considers him the height of culinary thought and is ready to eat at least every day. To add at least some variety to the menu, you have to learn different ways of how to make mashed potatoes. Fortunately, potatoes are in perfect harmony even with meat, even with mushrooms and options - a lot. Here are some of them.
Puree sauce - mushroom
Any mushrooms are suitable for her: mushrooms, chanterelles, champignons. So: 200 grams of mushrooms, a large onion, a small carrot, a few cloves of garlic, 50 grams of butter (any), 50 grams of sour cream, 40 grams of flour, 200 grams of any broth, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, salt, spices.
Prepare the mushrooms and cut into slices, chop the onion, grate the carrots finely. Fry onions, carrots and mushrooms in sequence. Add the broth with flour diluted in it, simmer until mushrooms are ready, put chopped garlic, ketchup and spices for 5 minutes to the end.
Puree sauce - pork
Low-fat pork 300 grams, two onions and tomatoes, one zucchini, a tablespoon of tomato paste, 250 grams broth, salt, spices, oil.
Rinse the meat, cut into slices and fry a little, add the onion, fry a little more and pour everything with the broth. Stew for 10 minutes, add onions and tomatoes into cubes. After about five minutes, put the pasta, spices and simmer another 30 minutes until cooked.
Mashed gravy - liver
Liver (chicken, pork or beef) 300 grams, a small onion and carrots, 100 grams of broth, 40-50 grams of flour, salt, spices.
Wash the liver, remove all excess, cut into slices and lightly (about 5 minutes) fry. Separately, fry finely chopped onions and carrots, add them to the liver. In the broth, dissolve the flour to a kefir state and pour the liver with vegetables. Stew all together until thickened, add spices and can be served!
Mashed potatoes - chicken
300 grams of chicken, one onion and carrot, a glass of cream, butter, spices, salt.
Cut the fillet into small pieces. Chop the onion, grate the carrots. Fry the onions in a frying pan, add carrots, fillets, fry all together for another 5 minutes. Add a little water and simmer slightly, then pour in the cream and simmer all together until tender. The gravy should thicken and the meat become soft, at this point you can already remove from the stove.
And how to cook gravy for vegetable puree?
This gravy can be suitable for vegetarians, on fasting days or when the husband in the store forgot to buy meat. It happens.
For it we will need: one zucchini, eggplant, carrot, onion, a couple of tomatoes, a little celery, herbs, garlic, lean or olive oil.
Prepare and chop all vegetables: carrots on a grater, onions in small cubes, everything else is also cubed, but larger. Fry onions, add carrots, then - everything else, pour a small amount of water or vegetable broth and simmer until tender. Add chopped garlic and herbs a couple of minutes before the end.
The gravy described today is quite versatile and will go well not only with mashed potatoes, but with any side dish, making it juicier and adding new flavoring nuances. With their help, you can diversify the menu, making the most ordinary dinner festive. Well, you can always come up with a reason.