Knock Out Spuds

k girl,    why do they call them jackets? are they cold?

personally i love simple mashers...by hand with a hand masher..not too much butter, but enough, and i use  some of the potato water to stand in for almost all of the cream..kosher salt and cracked pepper is a biggie....at the restaurant  we serve jalapeno cheddar mashers as a side but thats cuz i've done the roasted garlic ones or the herbed ones, ranchero ones, green chile ones to death over the years...my potatoes of choice  are yukons and red creamers...at the fancy pants resturants i've cooked in the potatoes are milled and 'duchessed' but what an abosoute pain they are to make and personally i like the feeliing and taste of mashed by hand potatoes better...hey, what do the rich know anyway?

joey

I hear ya on the skins, K~Girl, the reason a lot of kitchens/restaurants leave them out, is PURELY for aesthetics. I leave 'em on at home, it's easier, I LIKE the skins, and personally the look doesn't bother me.

The Food mill may leave a little behind, but like mentioned in the other thread, a chimoise/fine sieve/tamis will do the same. The work level is MORE, but the end results are SO much lighter, fluffier, and just melt in your mouth good. If you were to use a mill, or chimoise, just use a plastic scrapper/dough scrape/board cleaner to get all the bits.

The key to ANY great spud, imo, is the texture. If you over work your spuds, you will(just like in making bread dough)develop gluten, and end up with glue. Just whip until all ingredients are Incorporated, and STOP. They should be able to hold a peak, and stand a spoon up in.

Some house batch flavors we go for: The traditional "Loaded" Smashed Potato: Yukon's, boiled in salted water, smashed with milk, butter, salt and pepper, then fold in sour cream, diced bacon, green onion, sharp cheddar. You can even pipe these onto a sheet pan, and brown off under a broiler for more flavor/visual appeal.

Skinned Russets, boiled 'til fork tender, butter, S+P, a little cream, Parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, and roasted garlic(mix in at the end, leave the garlic a little chunky). 

While it's not "Mashed" potatoes, I love to just oat fingerlings in duck, or bacon fat, roast until tender, and then smack em gently with the bottom of a clean pan, making truly SMASHED potatoes. Season liberally with salt and pepper, then, deep fry until the exploded sides are golden and crispy. Just top with Sour Cream, and some cheese, and MAN, So good, day break yo mouth! SO ONO!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 808JONO202 

I hear ya on the skins, K~Girl, the reason a lot of kitchens/restaurants leave them out, is PURELY for aesthetics.

Uhm, no.  I disagree.  The skins also add a dirt flavor as well as a papery gritty texture.  Me do not like skins in my mash.

No skins in my mash either. I still like garlic mashed potatoes. Gently cook the peeled garlic cloves in butter over low heat until soft while the potatoes cook. Simple and very good. Milling is best with garlic cloves as that breaks the cloves up into the potatoes.

Yukons add a lot of visual pop with the appearance of butter. I don't think they taste that much different in mashed potatoes. I usually do russetts for mashed potatoes.

I usually mash by hand as I like a little more texture in my mashed potatoes than the perfectly smooth results of the food mill. On the other hand, cooking the potatoes whole in their skins gives a better flavor with less absorbed water. And the food mill handles removing the skins for you.

Sorry but I still disagree.  I know how to clean a potato, trust me.  The texture of munching the potato skin in my mouth makes me feel like I'm eating paper.  And even if it is cleaned within an inch of its life it still adds flavor to the mash, a very earthy flavor.  I personally do not like them and I take issue with the poster that said that "skins are moved PURELY for aesthetic reasons" because my taste buds tell me otherwise. 

Some people like some don't.It's what makes us all individuals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

Sorry but I still disagree.  I know how to clean a potato, trust me.  The texture of munching the potato skin in my mouth makes me feel like I'm eating paper.  And even if it is cleaned within an inch of its life it still adds flavor to the mash, a very earthy flavor.  I personally do not like them and I take issue with the poster that said that "skins are moved PURELY for aesthetic reasons" because my taste buds tell me otherwise. 

You can take issue all you want, when a Chef wants a purely WHITE potato/mashed, THAT is why the skins are removed, for a cleaner presentation. You will also find that a LOT of European Chefs remove the skins, because New Potatoes(used a LOT in the USA), are used to feed farm animals, and are not considered "People" food, so it's a bigger spud, with the skin removed. Of course, here in the states, skins can go either way, as has been proven by the posters in this thread. Honestly, a salt crusted baked potato, my favorite part of it IS the skin, crispy, roasted, salty goodness. If it's clean, it is NOT gritty, and I guess you can say it does have an earthy quality, but so does good Scotch. . .LOTS of things in the food world have "earthy" qualities, heck, think of mushrooms.

To each their own, as stated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 808JONO202 

 

You can take issue all you want, when a Chef wants a purely WHITE potato/mashed, THAT is why the skins are removed, for a cleaner presentation. You will also find that a LOT of European Chefs remove the skins, because New Potatoes(used a LOT in the USA), are used to feed farm animals, and are not considered "People" food, so it's a bigger spud, with the skin removed. Of course, here in the states, skins can go either way, as has been proven by the posters in this thread. Honestly, a salt crusted baked potato, my favorite part of it IS the skin, crispy, roasted, salty goodness. If it's clean, it is NOT gritty, and I guess you can say it does have an earthy quality, but so does good Scotch. . .LOTS of things in the food world have "earthy" qualities, heck, think of mushrooms.

 

To each their own, as stated.

I don't take issue with whether it's good or not, I fully understand that some people like skins on and some like skin off.  I take skins off because I don't like the taste and texture.  It's not done for aesthetic reasons as you say.  I didn't say earthiness was bad, I said I don't want it in my mashed potatoes.  All potatoes are people food, I won't consider even for a second that "european" chefs, as you vaguely describe, peel potatoes for that reason.  Chefs are doing marvelous things with animal feet, offal and the like but they don't consider a potato people food?  Absurd.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

l..

Miss KK, I tried your method of roasting the taters, covered in tin foil with the Rosemary, YUM!!!  Mister K~girl was impressed!!  thanks girl!

Glad it worked out... no water right??

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

Jono, I'm going to try your technique of piping the mash on to a tray and browning the tops,

that would be a great way to 'hold' the spuds for a holiday dinner!  raosted garlic, top with some parm, ono (good)  brah!

Oh no, that reminds me of catering hall mashed potatoes. 

simply somes down to, 'are you a jet or a shark' ?

joey

for those of you too young..it's 'west side story'...if i have to explain what that is, forgetaboutit!

Quote:

Originally Posted by durangojo 

simply somes down to, 'are you a jet or a shark' ?

joey

for those of you too young..it's 'west side story'...if i have to explain what that is, forgetaboutit!

LOL, very true too. What if you were brought up Shark, but feel more Jet at heart? Oh these poor, cursed potatoes, they will forever be facing my duality!

kgirl,

duchessed potatoes are absolutely lovely on a plate, don't get me wrong with my earlier post, (just being a bit sassy).....the rice mill is a pita, but really worth the effort for presentation....plusses are you can make them ahead, pipe them and hold, then heat/brown at the last minute....be careful if you are using  roasted garlic though and trying to pipe...your tip may get clogged....they are really heavenly and ethereally light and don't need much more than s& p and good butter in the mix....i like chives too, but again watch your tip size....i make them alot for wine tasting dinners.....impressive they be!

joey

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

Jono, I'm going to try your technique of piping the mash on to a tray and browning the tops,

that would be a great way to 'hold' the spuds for a holiday dinner!  raosted garlic, top with some parm, ono (good)  brah!

Go for it, it can be a great time saver especially during a holiday meal where things can be hectic enough, as is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

 

Oh no, that reminds me of catering hall mashed potatoes. 

Instant potato pearls, slopped into a hotel pan? Don't think so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by durangojo 

kgirl,

duchessed potatoes are absolutely lovely on a plate, don't get me wrong with my earlier post, (just being a bit sassy).....the rice mill is a pita, but really worth the effort for presentation....plusses are you can make them ahead, pipe them and hold, then heat/brown at the last minute....be careful if you are using  roasted garlic though and trying to pipe...your tip may get clogged....they are really heavenly and ethereally light and don't need much more than s& p and good butter in the mix....i like chives too, but again watch your tip size....i make them alot for wine tasting dinners.....impressive they be!

joey

Exactly, if they were good enough for Escoffier, than they are good enough for any guest I would hope.

I like my new pots (scrapers) crushed and my old pots(storers) riced, no skins for me they stick to my front teeth like spinach and as you Americans know our dental hygiene is suspect so it saves embarrassment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 808JONO202 


You have clearly missed my point, completely.

So did you.

Catering Hall mashed???   If you mean Duchess, these are not catering hall , the recipe is given in Escoffier cookbook.

Mashed potato just piped out of bag are called mashed potato piped out of bag.

Instead of using a scallop shell I make and bake duchess baskets for Coquilles St Jaques http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3236/scallops-with-mushrooms-and-white-wine-coquilles-s

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

 

I still don’t understand ‘floury potatoes’?

 

Floury potatoes are just those that are low in moisture, and sugar content, like a russet. . .any spud with a lighter, fluffy, dry texture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaneohegirlinaz 

Kippers, I had to ‘Goggle’ King Edwards and Maris Piper potatoes.

I still don’t understand ‘floury potatoes’?

That recipe sent me over the Moon, gorgeous!

I just wish that we could eat scallops, love them 

Ate them once and had THE worst allergic reaction.

Beautiful dish…

Jono's is correct, I would only use Ed's, Pipers, Cara and Kerrs Pinks for Jacket pots or mash because they mash without lumps and absorb butter egg yolks and cream better.

The same applies to the bramley cooking apple we have over here, Its the best apple for double crust pies and apple sauce there is because it "falls" beautifully.

you can sub monk fish for the scallops, I add a shot of noilly prat to the wine for the sauce.