potatoes potatoes potatoes

So a few of you had asked about those mashed potato side dishes that I made for our Thanksgiving meal last week - tasty? yes. makes you look like a potato hero? yes. But the most important question of all: are they easy?? Why, YES - yes they are easy!! Glad you asked ...

The bleu cheese and chive mashed potato dish is a trick I've had up my sleeve for years - such a crowd pleaser. I've modified it to suit our own taste (ie, a bit more sour cream and more bleu cheese!), but the original credit goes to the New Basics Cookbook (also the authors of the Silver Palate series). In the cookbook, they're called "Bleu de Bresse Baked Potatoes", found on page 273. Here's what you need to yield 4 servings, ladybug style:

• 4 Idaho baking potatoes
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 cloves of finely minced garlic
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces bleu cheese
• 1 T chopped parsley
• 2 T fresh chopped chives
• salt/pepper to taste

First you need to bake the potatoes for about an hour and 15-30 minutes (don't forget to prick them so they don't explode!). Once they've cooled, cut and scoop out all of the insides into a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a pan and add the minced garlic until it's just about to turn brown, then add it to the potatoes in the bowl. From there, add the remaining ingredients and mix/mash until well blended. The New Basics recipe would have you return the mixture to the original potato skins to re-bake for 15 minutes. Since I always seem to rip the skins with my not-so-gentle hands, I've never once rebaked them this way. Furthermore, since they reheat so perfectly, I almost always make this one a day ahead, so from this point, I would simply put the mixture into a baking dish, cover, and refrigerate. When you're ready, reheat uncovered for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Delicious ...

This year, I was feeling crazy and decided to try a second potato recipe with the extended family ... a brand new recipe I'd never made before. This was the white cheddar and sage ... turned out to be equally delicious and equally easy! This one came from a local friend, so I'm not sure of the original source. Her recipe serves 10:

• 4-5 lbs. russett potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
• 2T minced fresh sage
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, packed
• salt/pepper to taste

Cook the cubed potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 12-15 minutes. Meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan - then add the sage and stir until the butter begins to brown (@ 3 minutes). Add the cream and milk and bring mixture to a simmer. Drain potatoes and return to pot - stir until excess moisture evaporates. Add cream mixture and mash together. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese and add salt/pepper to taste. Transfer to a baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a bit of extra sage. This one is also a great day-ahead-of-time recipe - just cover with plastic and chill. When you're ready, bake uncovered at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. This was mine just before going into the fridge the night before ...

And there you have it ... these are both great recipes for entertaining not only because they can be done ahead of time, but also for their very favorable wow-factor to ease-of-prep ratio ;-)

If you try them, you'll have to let me know what you think! Bon appetit!