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Side Dish
American
4 - 6 servings
20 minutes
40 minutes
4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/3 inch thick
3 shallots, crushed
2 cloves organic garlic, crushed
4 teaspoons salt, divided use
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
5 shallots, finely minced
2 cloves organic garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1/2 cup half and half or milk
Heat about 6 cups of water (enough to cover the potatoes) in a large pot over high heat until hot but well below a simmer.
Turn heat down to low and add the potato slices, crushed shallots and crushed garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and vinegar. The potatoes will cool the water down to about 160 degrees. Cook at this temperature for about 20 minutes.
Drain and run cold water over the potato slices to cool them.
Let them stand in water in the pot until you're ready to finish cooking, or drain, cover and refrigerate.
When ready to mash, sauté the minced shallots and minced garlic in butter over medium heat until just soft.
Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the white pepper. Add the cream and half-and-half and heat gently. Set aside.
To finish cooking, add water to the cool potatoes if necessary, bring to a boil, and simmer until fork-tender, about 5 minutes at a simmer.
Drain, remove the crushed shallots and crushed garlic, put the potatoes back in the pot, and heat for about a minute to dry them out.
To mash, push the potatoes once through a ricer or large-holed strainer into a medium mixing bowl.
Bring the creamy mixture to a boil and stir into the hot mashed potatoes. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
This recipe shows that precooking the potatoes at 160 degrees and then cooling them swells and recrystallizes the starch, making them no longer soluble in water. Also, a little vinegar in the water adds a hint of flavor and helps prevent discoloration caused by hard water or stem-end blackening.
