Boil the potatoes, mash them and the mashed potatoes are ready - or is it?
With a few tips, the supposedly simple dish is always a success and ensures a good second helping at the table.
Mashed potatoes make a wonderful side dish: creamy, soft and delicious all round.
And it's also pretty cheap - and actually very easy to prepare.
But it doesn't always work out the way it should.
Sometimes it's too solid, sometimes too liquid, sometimes even sticky and like paste.
To ensure that the puree is always as successful as possible, you can follow the tips below.
The choice of potato variety
There are many varieties of potatoes.
Roughly speaking, they can be divided into three categories: waxy, predominantly waxy and mealy.
For purees, stews and soups, it is best to use the floury varieties.
Here, for example, Augusta, Adretta and Ackersegen should be mentioned.
But the corresponding properties can also be found on the already packed bags in the supermarket.
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Mashed potatoes are one of the classics of German cuisine.
Whether as an accompaniment to roulades, spinach or on its own with rocket and spring onions - it almost always tastes good.
And that's why every family has its own recipe.
A few tips will help to refine this.
© Jürgen Pfeiffer/imageBROKER/Imago
The size of the potatoes
Yes, the smaller you cut potatoes, the faster they will cook.
But: This also increases the surface area into which water can penetrate.
And that is exactly what dilutes the taste and also changes the consistency of the tuber.
The potatoes are best protected when they are cooked with their skins on.
Cooking whole or halved is less time-consuming and without the annoying peeling afterwards.
Bonus tip: If you still want to cut the potatoes into small pieces, you should try cooking them in a mixture of milk and cream instead of water.
In this way, the subsequent puree is extra rich and there is no longer any risk of watering down.
Difference: mashed potatoes and mashed potatoes
Two names, two types of puree: In the case of mashed potatoes, the potatoes are mashed as finely as possible, for example with a potato ricer
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.
Mashed potatoes are usually chunky.
Instead of a press, the typical potato masher made of stainless steel
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is used here.
Plus, with the classic mashed potatoes, no cream or milk is added, just browned butter (and salt to taste).
The temperature of the potatoes
In order for the puree to get the best consistency, the potatoes should stay as hot as possible and not cool down.
Good preparation helps here: Have all the necessary ingredients and equipment ready so that you can get started immediately after pouring off the water.
Inexpensive and regional in April - vegetables and fruit that are now in season
Inexpensive and regional in April - vegetables and fruit that are now in season
The best order of ingredients
After draining, it's time for the puree itself.
It's especially important here to add the butter first and then start pounding.
If you work with a potato ricer, first press all the tubers, then add the butter (or fat of your choice, even mayonnaise works) and stir.
Only after that comes cream or milk, which make the mass even softer and looser.
The following also applies here: Don't be stingy with the salt when you taste it and taste it again and again in between.
The puree can be rounded off at the end with some freshly grated nutmeg.
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Not all liquid at once
Gradually add the liquid, i.e. cream, milk or a mixture of both, to the puree.
Why?
The potatoes cannot absorb as much liquid at once.
By adding it slowly, you prevent the puree from becoming too runny and you can determine the consistency yourself.
Why are the mashed potatoes sticky?
Two things can play a role here.
Firstly, this can happen when cold cream or milk is added to the potatoes.
Better here: Warm up the liquid (stove or microwave).
On the other hand, the puree is very likely to become sticky if you prepare it with an immersion blender.
This destroys the starch chains and protein cells of the tuber and everything becomes sticky and paste-like.
Go the extra mile
If you want to serve a particularly aromatic puree, you go an extra step: heat your milk and/or cream together with herbs (e.g. rosemary) and butter on the stove.
When the potatoes are ready to be mashed, remove the herb stalks from the liquid and gradually add them to the potatoes.
List of rubrics: © Jürgen Pfeiffer/imageBROKER/Imago
