OK, SO TODAY I WENT LOOKING THROUGH MY MANY RECIPE BOOKS, COOKBOOKS, AND NEWSPAPER SNIPPITS...
... AND I THOUGHT, WE HAVE ALL THIS LEFTOVER FOOD IN THE FRIDGE, SO I REALLY SHOULDN'T COOK A WHOLE LOT...
... SO I WENT SEARCHING, AND SEARCHING... IT ALL SEEMED TO FILLING....
...AND THAN IT HIT ME!!! WAMMO!!!
!!!WAMMY!!! !!BANG! !Pow! !Zap! !Smash! and dont forget....
The all so anticipated.................
........
DING!!!!
HOW ABOUT SOME DELICIOUS GARLIC MASHED POTATOES!!!
IT GOES GOOD WITH JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!...
....AND SO IT BEGINS... TO MAKE MASHED POTATOES, WE MUST FIRST TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TO A YEAR PRESUMED TO BE 1769, WHERE THE FIRST POTATO MASHING SUPPOSABLY TOOK PLACE! POTATOES HAD BECOME WIDELY KNOWN IN EUROPE BY THE TURN OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
A WOMAN BY THE NAME OF Elizabeth Raffald HAD GIVEN A RECIPE FOR "YAM PUDDING". ( This was an unpromising yam-version of mashed potato, baked, which understandably did not catch on).
Elizabeth Raffald was the author of the 1769 book, "The Experienced English Housekeeper." She provides 800 recipes written with such clear directions and quantities, that you can still cook from them today.
Elizabeth definitely saw herself as a "modern" woman. She lived in Manchester, a burgeoning industrial centre of the British Empire. Showing that the use of "modern" is a relative term in ever age, she writes:
"I have made it my Study to set out the Dinner in as elegant a Manner as lies in my Power, and in the Modern Taste."
She aimed the book at people working for wealthy families, and in Manchester, there were more newly-wealthy families every year. The book also was evidently a favourite of Queen Victoria, who copied small portions of it into her diaries.
Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato).
Starch is the predominant form of carbohydrate found in potatoes.
This resistant starch is considered to have similar physiological effects and health benefits of fiber (e.g., provide bulk, offer protection against colon cancer, improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lower plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increase satiety, and possibly even reduce fat storage)
The amount of resistant starch found in potatoes is highly dependent upon preparation methods. Cooking and then cooling potatoes significantly increases resistant starch.
Potatoes contain a number of important vitamins and minerals as well.
A medium potato (about 5 or so ounces in weight), with the skin provides 27 mg vitamin C. (That's nearly 45% of the daily value), 620 mg of potassium (around 18% of the daily value), 0.2 mg vitamin B6 (that's 10%), and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Moreover, the fiber content of a potato with skin (2 grams) equals that of many whole grain breads, pastas, and cereals. In addition to vitamins, minerals and fiber, potatoes also contain an assortment of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols.
Oh! and one more thing about our dear friend, the tuber...
With all this said about potatoes with their skin being healthy and "all of the potato's nutrients" are found in the skin is... well... to put it so frank....
an urban legend.
haha, very funny... I think you get what I meant.
While the skin does contain approximately half of the total dietary fiber, the majority (more than 50%) of the nutrients are found within the potato itself. The cooking method used can significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.
And so, it's how you cook the potato.
Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to break down the starch. Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips/crisps.
And so, with all that said about how potatoes are great! And the first noted documentation of "mashing potatoes",... here is the recipe, which is why I chose to write this blog tonight, and the way it was prepared.
still with me? ... WAKEUP!!!!
GOOD, GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE STILL THERE.
Any how, here it goes... ( a fun video may follow someday)
it goes well with so many dishes, Mexican or otherwise.
Just give yourself the time to bake and cool the potatoes.
4 medium/large russet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3-4 cloves)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake the potatoes by first rubbing them lightly with oil
and then baking them in the preheated oven for 1 hour until
they are tender.
Cool.
3. Mash potatoes and remove about half of the skin. You want
to leave the rest in.
4. Melt the butter in a large suacepan over medium heat, then
add garlic and saute for 5 minutes.
5. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and cook for 5-10
minutes while stirring often until garlic mashed potatoes are
very hot.
This Serves About 4.
THERE YOU HAVE IT, GARLIC MASHED POTATOES!
I GIVE THIS RECIPE A THUMBS UP FOR EASY, AND DELICIOUS!
THE FINAL TURNOUT MAY SEEM WAY TO WATERY,... BUT THEN YOU THINK, MAYBE IT NEEDS MORE MASHING. ...
JUST GRAB A WHISK, AND WHISK AWAY!
THE FINAL PRODUCT WILL BECOME THICKER, AND KEEP IT'S LOVABLE CREAMINESS! YUM!!!!
THIS ONE GOES IN MY LOVED IT PILE!
...NOT MY "I'M NOT INTO THAT SORTA THING"! PILE ;)
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/encyclopaedia!openframeset&frame=Right&Src=/edible.nsf/Pages/elizabethraffald!opendocument
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=7005