Novel Way to Make Smashed Spuds

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I have a unique way of making mashed potatoes that leaves me with richer flavor.
Background: when mashed potatoes are made from boiled potatoes, you lose some of flavor as the skin is removed, and the water leeches away some of the potato flesh flavor. Plus, nutrients are lost. So, I was in search of a better mashed potato.

I know what you're thinking, just mash them with the skins on. But here's the problem with that, I like my mashed potato creamy smooth, and buttery. Mashed potatoes with the skins on just doesn't seem liek the best method to me.

Here's my solution, and it helps with portion control too:
Bake, or microwave one medium potato for each person. Cut the cooked potato in half, sideways. Hold hot spud half with a clean pot holder. Stab little holes through the flesh, but not through the skin. Lightly salt the potato flesh if you must, but you don't really need to. Now put a tsp. of real butter on the flesh and stab into the potato until it's absorbed. Slowly place a tbs. of milk on top of the potato flesh until it sinks in. Carefully mix inside the skin with the fork. Add a little more milk if required. REpeat with the 2nd half of the potato.

This mashed potato technique gives you silky-smooth mashed potato with rich flavor, plus you get to eat the yummy and nutritions potato skin afterward, or remove the potato flesh and fill the skin with something good and enjoy.

This technique seems like a lot of work. However, once you try it, you will find that the end result is worth it, and the time you spend would have taken even more time peeling, boiling, draining, and mashing, and won't be as tasty or as nutritious.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

Chief, you have too much time on your hands.

 

[Dawgluver]

This sounds delish, Chief, however, there's a whole lotta stabbing going on. Must be your military or martial arts training!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

This sounds delish, Chief, however, there's a whole lotta stabbing going on. Must be your military or martial arts training!

It first surfaced as a child at my Grandpa's home. Grandpa was the head cook there and boiled spuds was part of almost every meal. On day I wanted smashed spuds and so put butter on my potatoes and mashed it in. Then I poured a little milk on them and turned them into mashed potatoes on my plate. I think I was about ten years old then.

The smashed spuds in the skin was something similar, a baked potato, skin on, a hunger for mashed potatoes, a little butter (ok, a significant amount of butter), a bit of milk, and voila, I had my mashed potatoes. And yes, you're right, people looked at me funny. But my mashed potatoes were some of the tastiest I'd ever eaten. And so a new technique was born, in a cafeteria break room.

Who says you can't get good food in a cafeteria, if you're willing to think outside the box, maybe outside the planet?

And yes, I know I'm a bit off, and very proud of it. While others are satisfied with ho-hum, I want excellence whenever I can get it.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Chief, you have too much time on your hands.

In my cookbook, right on the cover, I state "Turn ordinary into extraordinary."
Never settle, my friend. Life is too short to settle.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Addie]

I just happen to be one of the folks who like lumpy potatoes. There is a divey diner in Boston near South Station. They serve nice lumpy potatoes. They have plenty of butter and cream. And plenty of lumps. Gee, if they ever served perfect mashed potatoes, folks would think that they had sold the diner and r ise up in protest!

 

[creative]

I just happen to be one of the folks who like lumpy potatoes. There is a divey diner in Boston near South Station. They serve nice lumpy potatoes. They have plenty of butter and cream. And plenty of lumps. Gee, if they ever served perfect mashed potatoes, folks would think that they had sold the diner and r ise up in protest!

Ah...and now, of course, there are "crushed potatoes"!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ah...and now, of course, there are "crushed potatoes"!

Isn't that what a potato masher, and a ricer, and a fork all do to a potato?

I like smashed spuds because it's such an informal, and efficient name, only two syllables. Somehow, it conjures the idea of a wild spirit, unwilling to bend to every little societal rule, someone who isn't snobbish, and just wants to call it what it is. It's like something a couple of teenage boys would say when camping on a little island, away from everyone. It makes me think of someone who is a little rough around the edges, but a good guy or gal.

In other words, I like Huck Fin better than I like Tom Sawyer. Tom is cool, but Huck is cooler. Just MHO. I bet Huck would have made smashed spuds in the skin, like I do.

The only people Huck didn't like were snobs, charlatans, and bullies. He was a great guy.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[creative]

Isn't that what a potato masher, and a ricer, and a fork all do to a potato?

Well it's a question of degree. I am sure you are familiar with lightly crushed potato, i.e. done with a fork, still retaining its lumpy appearance (more than mush). A ricer is for seriously smooth mash!

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I have found that if you boil or bake potatoes whole, then press them through a potato ricer, the potato comes out the bottom and the skin is left in the ricer. Just remove the skin to the compost container and continue to march.

 

[msmofet]

I scrub my potatoes, cut in half long ways, bake till tator is soft inside and cut side is nice and crispy. Peel off the crisp crunchy top "potato chip" then using fork "mash" soft flesh with ground sea salt and pepper, butter and sour cream. If thin pick up and eat smooth mashed tators in crispy skin "cup". If thick eat mashed out then eat crispy skin.​

 

[Addie]

I have found that if you boil or bake potatoes whole, then press them through a potato ricer, the potato comes out the bottom and the skin is left in the ricer. Just remove the skin to the compost container and continue to march.

If I bake that potato, and then put the potato through the ricer, the last thing I am going to do is toss the skin into the compost pile. I am going to cover that baby with salt, pepper and butter. Then it goes into my tummy! Plenty of favor and nutrients left in that baby.

 

[taxlady]

If I bake that potato, and then put the potato through the ricer, the last thing I am going to do is toss the skin into the compost pile. I am going to cover that baby with salt, pepper and butter. Then it goes into my tummy! Plenty of favor and nutrients left in that baby.

Addie, the skin mostly just stays at the bottom of the ricer, with almost no potato left on it. I can't imagine scraping that out of the bottom of the ricer to eat.

 

[Caslon]

I have found that if you boil or bake potatoes whole, then press them through a potato ricer, the potato comes out the bottom and the skin is left in the ricer. Just remove the skin to the compost container and continue to march.

Yes, I use that method when, after boiling potatoes, I discover there's no milk in the fridge.

 

[taxlady]

If the potatoes were peeled or well scrubbed when you boiled them, you can use the potato cooking water to make your mashed potatoes.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

If the potatoes were peeled or well scrubbed when you boiled them, you can use the potato cooking water to make your mashed potatoes.

"Your Majesty, they have no milk to make their mashed potatoes."

"Then let them use potato cooking water!"

Taxlady was taken to the infamous tower to be beheaded. But she had other ideas. The guards wondered why she walked so stiff-legged up the stairwell. When locked in her damp and dank quarters to await her execution, she pulled from her left pantleg a bow, complete with a string. From the other pantleg she removed a cable and arrow. After securing the cable to the arrow, she loosed the feathered and tethered shaft straight and true through the fist sized window to a sturdy lads left thigh, and used the improvised zip-line to escape to a new and amazing place, way up in the Great White North, where you just don't eat that yellow snow.

Lest you wonder how Taxy fit through the fist sized window, I can't tell you. You have to ask Taxy. It's her story. Ahhhahahaha.

Thank you, thank you. Just throw money.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Isn't that what a potato masher, and a ricer, and a fork all do to a potato?...

Crushed, or crashed, potatoes are not a mashed potato. The whole potato is par-boiled, crushed using something heavy (think of your CI skillet), and then seasoned and baked. And eaten. And delicious.

 

[Caslon]

I've learned recently to keep powdered forms of milk in the cabinet for just such a "doh!".

 

[taxlady]

I've learned recently to keep powdered forms of milk in the cabinet for just such a "doh!".

That's a good idea. I checked out powdered milk at the grocery store a while back. It's not easy to find anymore. It's also expensive. I couldn't make myself spend that much on powdered milk. I remember when skim milk powder was the cheap way to have milk. I should get over that. It's convenient stuff.

 

[Addie]

That's a good idea. I checked out powdered milk at the grocery store a while back. It's not easy to find anymore. It's also expensive. I couldn't make myself spend that much on powdered milk. I remember when skim milk powder was the cheap way to have milk. I should get over that. It's convenient stuff.

When the kids were small, going through milk was very easy to do in just one meal. So unbeknownst to them, I started to cut the milk with powdered milk. They were still getting their full allotment of milk, just more of it. Before I started to do that, they would want to grab a glass of milk and I would have to tell them just a small glass. Once I started to add the powdered, they could have all they wanted. To this day, they still do not know. And I am not telling them. And of course it did help cut down on the grocery bill. I also kept a half gallon glass pitcher of it for mashed taters, white sauce, mac and cheese, and other dishes that called for milk. I talk the kids that was skim milk. And it was the truth. Heaven help if they ever wanted any of that.