Mashed potatoes land on many holiday tables, mellow and creamy but short on flavor unless smothered in gravy. I prefer potato mashers that taste delicious under Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy or can stand on their own, all while reminding me I’m eating homegrown spuds.
To start, I leave the potatoes unpeeled. The flecks of skin soften when boiled yet give the potatoes a slightly chunky, earthy mouthfeel when mashed by hand. I also minimize the standard, often overly rich butter and cream and pack in other flavors, such as anchovies, grilled onion and yogurt whey for Bagna Cauda-Style Mashed Potatoes or roasted garlic and fresh chives for a strong allium taste in this week’s recipe. Using vinegar instead of cream gives mashed potatoes a tanginess reminiscent of German potato salad, with its vinegary dressing.
This November, my chives have not yet died back entirely, so I’m still harvesting fresh ones to mince into these mashers. In summer, when the chives start to bloom, I pull apart their fresh purple flowerheads and use them as a garnish. I also pickle chive blossoms, using a recipe I share in The Complete Guide to Pickling, and mix the infused vinegar into the mashed potatoes. Other herbal vinegar infusions also work well, as do dark malt and pale white wine vinegar. Avoid distilled white vinegar, which tastes too harsh when mixed into the mild potatoes and roasted garlic.
These potato mashers are chunky, full of peels and garlic smears. If that’s not your preferred mashed potato style, peel the potatoes and puree the garlic into the butter until it’s smooth. For an even smoother mash, press peeled and boiled potato chunks through a ricer or substitute sweet potatoes.
Tangy, Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
Serves about 4
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
Sea salt to taste
1/4 cup infused, malt or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves roasted garlic
2 tablespoons minced chives or fresh or pickled chive blossoms
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Rinse the potato chunks briefly under cold running water. In a large pot with enough cold, lightly salted water to cover the potatoes, bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.
Drain the potatoes, briefly rinse them again under cold running water and then return them to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing gently, for about one minute, until any remaining moisture has evaporated. Remove the pot from the heat and immediately pour the vinegar over the boiled potatoes. Mash until fluffy.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Squeeze in the garlic and then cook, stirring and lightly mashing, for about 30 seconds, until the butter bubbles. Gently fold the hot garlic butter and most of the chives into the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot, sprinkled with the remaining chives.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.