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| What You Need: |
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4 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
4 pounds baking potatoes
˝ pound butter, softened
˝ to 1 cup cream, preferably heavy
1 teaspoon salt
˝ teaspoon white pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, chives or dill (optional)
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart pot. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Meanwhile peel the potatoes, cut them into halves or quarters and drop them into the boiling water. Boil them briskly, uncovered, until they are tender.
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2. Test for doneness by piercing them periodically with the tip of a small, sharp knife. They should show no resistance in the center, but they should not fall apart. Drain them at once in a colander.
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3. Return the potatoes to the pan in which they cooked, or transfer them to a large, heavy skillet and shake them over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until they are as dryas possible.
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4. Then puree them into a heated mixing bowl either by mashing them with a potato masher, or by forcing through a potato ricer or through a large, coarse sieve with the back of a spoon.
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5. Now, 2 or 3 tablespoons at a time, beat into the puree, either by hand or with an electric mixer, the ˝ pound of softened butter. Heat the cream in a small saucepan and beat it into the potatoes a few tablespoons at a time, using as much as you need to give the puree the consistency that you prefer.
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6. Ideally the mashed potatoes should be neither too wet nor too dry, and they should hold their shape lightly in a spoon. Beat in the salt and the white pepper, and taste for seasoning.
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7. Add more salt if you think it is necessary. Serve at once in a heated vegetable dish. If you like, float the melted butter in a well in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle them with one of the herbs.
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