Mashed potatoes are one of the simplest and most popular side dishes, which everyone eats with pleasure: both young children and adult gourmets. Preparing this dish is completely uncomplicated, and it harmonizes with almost all the delicacies: mushrooms, vegetables, fish and meat delicacies.
A few words about the process
Many experienced housewives know perfectly how to make mashed potatoes, and there is nothing difficult for them. At first glance, indeed, it seems that there is nothing easier than rubbing boiled tubers with butter and milk.
However, it’s actually not so easy to make mashed potatoes. Indeed, even in the process of creating such an unpretentious treat, there are peculiarities and tricks. It is very important to adhere to the entire cooking technology in order to get a truly delicate and lush dish as a result.
Cooking features
It would seem that it might be simpler than the question of how to make mashed potatoes? Many consider this dish to be one of the most banal treats in Russian national cuisine. And for the most part this is actually the case, with only one significant amendment.
Not everyone, even experienced culinary specialists, actually knows how to make mashed potatoes correctly. Therefore, if you want your delicacy to succeed, it is very important to pay attention to several significant details. Indeed, despite the simplicity of this dish, there are certain rules and secrets of making air and delicate mashed potatoes.
- Try to give preference to yellowish potatoes: they are much better and boil faster.
- Use extreme caution when grinding mashed potatoes. The potato is not easy to chop, it needs to be practically beaten. Only in this way you can rid your dish of hated lumps and give it a creamy consistency.
- To give potatoes an unforgettable aroma, you just need to throw a couple of cloves of garlic, a whole carrot or onion into the pan.
- The taste of the prepared puree will be more delicate if you add 2 tablespoons of sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise or neutral yogurt to it.
- And you can give the delicacy plasticity with a raw egg.
- Cook the potatoes in about 20-30 minutes, but not more. Otherwise, it will become too soft and simply disintegrate into small pieces.
Cooking secrets
- If there is no milk in your refrigerator, replace it with cream mixed with kefir.
- Do not save on butter - the more you put it, the tastier the mashed potatoes will turn out.
- What to do if mashed potatoes are salted? Even in such a situation, one should not panic; everything can be easily fixed. In salted mashed potatoes, it is enough to simply add a few chopped potatoes, cooked in fresh broth. In the meantime, prepare the tubers, cover the dish with a lid or a towel so that it does not become covered with a dry crust.
- It is very important to bring the potatoes to full readiness. And to check it is very simple - if the knife goes through the vegetable without any resistance, then the pot can be removed from the fire. Undercooked potatoes often become the main cause of lumps. If you want to speed up the process, just cut the tubers into small cubes.
- In no case do not add cold milk in the puree - the treat will get an unpleasant gray tint.
- Liquid must be present in the crush. Otherwise, the puree will fall apart into crumbs. You can give the dish a creamy consistency by adding to it a broth in which potatoes were boiled, or warm milk. This is a prerequisite for obtaining a delicious, delicate dish. If you have mashed liquid, what should I do? Here, as in the case of salt, everything is simple - you just need to boil a few more potatoes and send them to the crush.
- Baked garlic, fried mushrooms, fresh herbs, white pepper, parmesan, rosemary, sauteed onions, mustard and thyme are in harmony best with mashed potatoes. If you want to give your treat an unforgettable aroma, complement it with any of these ingredients.
- After you pour the broth from the potatoes, return it to the pot and place it on the stove again. Stew the tubers in just a few minutes under the lid. This is necessary so that all water evaporates from the potato, and it becomes friable.
Description
The main ingredient of mashed potatoes, as you know, is the potato itself. For the most part, the taste of the whole dish depends on its quality. For example, if you take frozen tubers, the treat will be sweet. By the way, if you encounter a similar problem and you have no other potatoes, you can neutralize the sugary vegetables by soaking them in water and adding a few drops of vinegar to them.
However, even such manipulation does not guarantee spoiled tubers taste good. Remember, if you want to make truly delicious mashed potatoes, you will need high-quality potatoes.
Despite the apparent simplicity of preparation, different chefs even get such a traditional dish completely different. After all, every cook has a special way of making mashed potatoes.
How to cook?
In addition to high-quality potatoes and correctly selected varieties, it is important to adhere to a certain technology for its cooking. The first step is to peel and rinse the tubers.
Try not to keep chopped potatoes for too long in cool water - it is best to put it immediately in boiling water. After all, when in the liquid, the lion's share of starch is washed out of the tubers.
To potatoes cooked evenly, it must be cooked over low heat under a lid. And the amount of water in the pan should be such that the broth only slightly covers the diced cubes. To check the readiness of potatoes, you just need to pierce it in the middle.
After full preparation, water from the pan should be poured. To soften the potatoes, you can use a simple pusher, blender or mixer. But professional chefs advise giving preference to manual devices, thanks to which the dish turns out to be incredibly airy and delicate.
How to make mashed potatoes with milk?
To prepare a classic recipe, you will need:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 300 ml of milk;
- 50 g butter;
- salt and spices to your taste.
So, first of all, the tubers should be boiled, as expected, cutting off all their eyes and spots. Do not forget to salt the water when it boils, and at the end check the potatoes for readiness and immediately drain the water.
Warm the milk a bit using a water bath or microwave. Now begin to gradually knead the potatoes with a crush and add liquid in small portions to it. Stir the mashed potatoes until lumps remain in it and it acquires a uniform consistency.
At the end, send soft butter to the pan and beat the mixture well again. As a result, you should get a very soft, lush mashed potatoes. Serving it, of course, is best immediately after cooking.
Now you know how to make mashed milk with your own hands. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this process. You just need to know a few simple rules.
How to mashed french?
According to this recipe, you can cook a delicious dish with a very piquant, refined taste. And all this thanks to the use of Dijon mustard and sour cream is a very unusual combination that will give your puree richness and color. Such a treat can surprise guests who have probably never tried something like this before.
To prepare French puree you will need:
- 6-7 potatoes;
- a handful of pine nuts;
- 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard;
- 100 ml sour cream;
- salt and other spices at your discretion.
If you wish, you can replace the fermented milk product with ordinary cream.
Cooking process
First boil the potatoes until cooked. Do not forget to salt it.
Slightly fry the pine nuts in a dry pan, then grind them in a coffee grinder, rolling pin, or in a mortar.
Crush the potatoes with a crush, gradually adding the remaining broth to it. Then add warm sour cream or cream, mustard and roasted nuts to the mass. Stir all ingredients until smooth, smooth.
For those who do not know how to make mashed potatoes unusually tasty, spicy and aromatic, this recipe will come in handy many more times.
Gentle treats for children
This dish will come to the rescue of young mothers who are trying their best to diversify their baby’s daily menu with healthy treats. Not sure how to make baby puree? To do this, you will need:
- 200 g of beets;
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 50 g butter;
- 250 ml of milk;
- a pinch of vanillin;
- as much paprika;
- salt to taste.
Cooking method
Rinse prepared vegetables thoroughly under running water. Then peel them and cut into several parts. Cook the vegetables separately: beets for an hour, and potatoes for 30 minutes. Be sure to check their readiness: they should be soft enough.
Transfer cooked vegetables to a deep bowl and knead thoroughly with a nibble.
Pour the milk into a saucepan, warm it slightly and add vanillin, paprika and butter to it. Wait until all components are completely melted and mixed until smooth.
Gradually introduce the prepared mixture to the chopped potatoes and continue to knead the vegetables. Your goal is an airy, tender mass without a single lump. Spare neither time nor energy for intensively whipping the mashed potatoes. Finally, try the cooked puree and, if necessary, salt it again.
Hearty dish with onions
Such a treat will surely appeal to those who love simple, nutritious goodies. How to mashed onions? Incredibly simple! You just need to cook the usual mashed potatoes and add it to the fried onions. But first things first. To get started, prepare:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- half a teaspoon of salt;
- 2 large onions;
- 1.5 cups of milk;
- some vegetable oil.
Course of action
First of all, boil the potatoes by cutting them into small cubes. In the meantime, the tubers reach readiness, start preparing the remaining products.
Peel the onion and cut into thin strips, then fry it in a small amount of vegetable oil. It should be cooked to a pleasant golden hue.
After boiling the potatoes, you need to drain the water from it. Kneading it will be much easier while it is still hot. Heat the milk and pour in a little puree. By the way, if you wish, you can replace it with cream. And send the onion in mashed potatoes already when it acquires a uniform texture.