Recipe Idea: mashed potatoes

If you don't love mashed potatoes, I suspect that you're not human. Nah. But mashed potatoes are a staple practically everywhere in the mainstream world, since potatoes are a staple food in many countries anyway. I'm a fan of the rich, creamy type of mashed potatoes, with just a bit of bite and lots of gravy.

At home, though, I make it a little differently. The typical home made mashed potatoes involves potatoes (duh), milk or cream, and butter. I'm the kind of person who will add a little more to that list.

The basics for about 3-4 servings:

1. 2-3 medium (1-2 large) potatoes, peeled and diced - I used purple skin potatoes that I had
2. half a carrot, peeled and
   sliced
3. 1/2 medium / 1 small red onion OR 3-5 shallots, finely minced

I boiled the potatoes and carrots in some salted water and drained them. I prepped the onions a la Cooking with Dog - chopped them up, rubbed them with salt, rinsed with cold water, then squeezed dry in a paper towel (or you could just leave them out to air dry).

My seasonings:

• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter (vegetable oil spread for vegan option)
• 1-2 tbsp cream / milk (soy milk for vegan option)
• 1-2 tsp mild American mustard

The raw onion gives a fresh bite in contrast to the creaminess of the mashed potatoes and carrots. And the other seasonings are pretty much really all up to you - the beauty of mashed potatoes is that it's a complete basic dish that you can customize to suit your liking!