About the recipe Probably one of the most comforting dishes out there, mashed potatoes go with everything from hearty stews to perfectly crisp and colourful traybakes.Cooking the potatoes in their skins prevents them from becoming waterlogged and ensures every bite is rich and creamy. It’s important to mash the potatoes quickly while they’re hot, too, because cold potatoes tend to become heavy and gluey, rather than fluffy and moreish.
About the Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg Root Zero potatoes
- 100 mls Whole milk
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Sprig of rosemary
- 3 Black peppercorns
- 50 g Butter, divided
- 1 Small bunch spring onions, finely sliced
Directions
- Place the unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Salt the water generously, then cover the pan with a lid and place on the hob over a high heat. Bring to the boil and continue to boil the potatoes for 22-25 minutes the potatoes are tender throughout to the point of a sharp knife, but before the skins begin to split and collapse.
- Meanwhile, pour the milk into a small saucepan with the herbs and peppercorns. Heat until bubbles appear at the side of the pan, but before the milk is boiling, about 3 minutes over a medium-low heat. Cover and set aside to infuse.
- Drain the potatoes, then while they’re still hot, use gloves or a clean dishcloth to protect your hands from the heat of the first hot potato. Cut one potato in half, then, with the clean dishcloth resting on your non-dominant hand (or wearing gloves), place the potato on the dishclothed-hand, then use a spoon to scoop out the white centres into a large mixing bowl.
- Set the potato skin aside to use for another recipe, and repeat with the remaining potatoes. Add half of the butter to the bowl, and pour the infused milk through a sieve into the bowl, too, discarding the aromatics. Mash well until smooth while the potatoes are still steaming hot, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Melt the remaining butter until bubbling, then spread the mashed potatoes out on a hot serving dish and use the back of a spoon to create ripples in the surface. Pour over the melted butter and sprinkle over the spring onions. Serve immediately.