Mashed Potatoes of the Gods and Brown Butter

Brown Butter Sage Mashed Potatoes

  All you need to take to Thanksgiving dinner are these potatoes and this pie. You're welcome. I love you, too.  

 

First of all, let's talk about brown butter. In French, it's Beurre Noisette and it's said that souls have risen from the grave for a taste. It's that good. We are using it here to make unbelievably delicious mashed potatoes, but it can be used in a number of ways. After it's made, brown butter can be refrigerated and used on crusty bread, on toast or any way you would utilize regular butter. Try it in cookies, cakes, or simply tossed with pasta. Browning the butter gives it a deep, nutty flavor and you can add different flavors as you make it. Cinnamon brown butter on pancakes. Lemon brown butter on fish. You get the picture.


I suggest that you spend a few minutes to make a batch of sage brown butter and a batch of cinnamon brown butter and store in the frig so you'll have it on hand for cooking. The flavor of brown butter will beautifully enhance all of your fall foods - pies, cakes, chicken, potatoes. Anything that calls for butter will scream for brown butter. Try the sage brown butter on a sweet potato.

Brown Butter 
 
*8 Tbsp salted butter (cut into even pieces)

*8-10 leaves of fresh chopped sage (or spice of your choice)

In a small saucepan - preferably a heavy one with a light colored interior so that you can easily see the butter as it changes color, melt the butter over low heat. 

 

Once it's melted, turn up the heat to low/medium and add the chopped sage. Stir. Keep stirring. The butter will bubble and bubble and you'll think that nothing is ever going to happen and then all of a sudden it will start to foam like crazy and begin to darken VERY QUICKLY.

You will have to stir a little tornado in the middle of your pot in order to see through the foam and see the color of the butter. Keep stirring and watch carefully until it turns the color of strong tea. Small particles may form in the pan and that's okay.

Remove from heat quickly and pour the butter into a heatproof bowl so that it will not continue cooking from the heat of the pan. Some people strain out the little bits of solid, but I think they just add extra flavor.

Mashed Potatoes - more than you ever thought you needed to know


What you'll need:

*4 russet or  equivalent amount of Yukon Gold potatoes (or a mix of the two!)

* Sage Brown Butter

*1/2 - 3/4 cup of cream, half and half or milk

*Salt and pepper

To peel/cube or not to peel/cube: 

Of course there are different tastes and different schools of though on this age old question. I believe that boiling the potatoes whole and unpeeled is the best way because it keeps more of the nutrients from leaching out into the water and it prevents the potatoes from becoming waterlogged. Alternately, if you are in no hurry, bake the potatoes rather than boil them. If you're in a huge hurry, cut into 2" cubes and peel or don't. Your choice. Options, options.

I like to leave the peels on because I like a little texture in my mash, but it's easy to peel the potatoes with your fingers after they have cooked and cooled a bit.

What you'll do:

Boil the potatoes in a large pot of generously salted water until they are very soft. Drain and return to the hot pot (SAVE A LITTLE OF THE POTATO COOKING LIQUID IN A SMALL BOWL) and stir the potatoes over heat for a minute so that the remaining water steams out. Remove from heat. 

Mash the potatoes by hand with an old fashioned potato masher. Do not use a hand mixer or even your Kitchenaid with a paddle attachment. I don't care what other people say or how your Mom did it, it will make your potatoes gummy. Mashing them by hand may not make them perfectly smooth, but I like a few lumps as it adds some interesting texture, as does leaving on the potato peels. It's science, people. If you overwork the potatoes they will release more starch and get gummy. A potato ricer can be used instead of a masher, but since I don't own one, I'll stick with my old fashioned masher.

Warm the cream or milk slightly (in the microwave is okay. Be sure not to burn it) and add the cream or milk and keep mashing or stirring. Add the sage brown butter and salt and pepper to taste. You may not need to use all of the butter and you may want to save a little to drizzle on top of the potatoes to call forth the dead (Just kidding. Or am I?) or for garnish/presentation. 

If you are making a large batch and actually have leftovers, you will use the reserved potato cooking liquid that you saved like a super smartie to loosen up the mashed potatoes when reheating. 

These are seriously the best mashed potatoes that I've ever had.