Which potato for mashed potatoes?

ClubDead

Which potatoes are best this time of year for mashed potatoes?.....also roasted potatoes? Thank you.

Dizzyblonde

For mash you need very floury potatoes and I use roosters. But you need to steam them, not boil them or they'll break up and become waterlogged. Then when you mash them, add whatever you usually do - butter, milk, etc and give them a whisk with a fork to make them light and fluffy.

I also use roosters for roast potatoes because they go nice and crisp on the outside but are fluffy inside.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

ClubDead

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

For mash you need very floury potatoes and I use roosters. But you need to steam them, not boil them or they'll break up and become waterlogged. Then when you mash them, add whatever you usually do - butter, milk, etc and give them a whisk with a fork to make them light and fluffy.

I also use roosters for roast potatoes because they go nice and crisp on the outside but are fluffy inside.

Ok, your going to think I'm thick but.....how do you steam potatoes? Do you use a steamer? How long do you steam them for? Sorry, really embarrassed to ask but my culinary skill aren't up to much.

Dizzyblonde

No I don't think you're thick We all have to start somewhere.
I have one of these cheap and cheerful steamers - you can usually get them in Tesco, Dealz, Argos and €2 shops.



For mash I slice my potatoes about 1cm thick and steam for 25-30 minutes, and for roast potatoes I leave them in chunks and steam them for about 10 minutes before tossing them in hot oil or goose fat (have it heating in the roasting tin in the oven while the potatoes steam). Then I roast them for about 40 minutes.

Edit: The steamer sits inside a pot with just enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer.

RasTa

Maris piper

ClubDead

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

No I don't think you're thick We all have to start somewhere.
I have one of these cheap and cheerful steamers - you can usually get them in Tesco, Dealz, Argos and €2 shops.



For mash I slice my potatoes about 1cm thick and steam for 25-30 minutes, and for roast potatoes I leave them in chunks and steam them for about 10 minutes before tossing them in hot oil or goose fat (have it heating in the roasting tin in the oven while the potatoes steam). Then I roast them for about 40 minutes.

Edit: The steamer sits inside a pot with just enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer.

Thanks for the lack of judgment and advice :-)

Thargor

Get yourself one of these electric steamers in Argos or Lidl, great kitchen gadget, cooks as well as the saucepan versions for way less:

the beer revolu

Thargor wrote: »

Get yourself one of these electric steamers in Argos or Lidl, great kitchen gadget, cooks as well as the saucepan versions for way less:
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Less than around €2 or €3?

Thargor

I meant less than the stacked steaming saucepans, uses a lot less electricity compared to leaving a hob going underneath them aswell anyway.

Tree

Yeah, but you'll make a mess trying to mash the spuds in them.

+1 on steaming the roosters in the saucepan insert. You then take out teh spuds/insert. Pour off the water, add milk and butter to heat before adding the spuds back in and mashing the bejaysus out of them.

I also use roosters for roasters (again, parsteamed, roughed up, dropped into hot oil in a preheated dish, sprinkled with kucharek).

tayto lover

Kerr's Pinks for me.

BailMeOut

+1 on steaming your spuds. I have not immersed a potato in a pot of water in years.

Thargor

Tree wrote: »

Yeah, but you'll make a mess trying to mash the spuds in them.

Thats not how you use them...

L1011

I've found that by using a ricer ( https://www.preparedpantry.com/image/cache/data/full-everydayricer-700x700.jpg ) rather than a hand masher or a fork I can get away with using almost anything; roosters would be the normal reasonably priced product around here in the first place though.

Its getting very late to buy stuff but IKEA have ricers quite cheap. Rinse them immediately or you'll be scrubbing it for an hour though!

twignme

Golden Wonder or Kerr's Pink, steamed whole in their skin. When cooked, peel as soon as they are cool enough to handle, put through a ricer (tesco now have these) and add plenty of hot milk, not cold.

keane2097

Do people find it makes a big difference for the oil you coat the roasties in to be heated beforehand? Not something I had done previously.

Had a batch made from roosters last night (boiled rather than steamed and cold oil rather than hot ) and thought they were great for crispiness on the outside and fluffiness on the inside as mentioned up thread. Will be going with them in future.

Faith

I find solid fat to be superior to liquid. Goose or duck fat is the best, but if you can't get either, I prefer lard to a liquid oil. So the fat is always hot when I toss my roasties in them. I don't think I've ever used a cold oil, and I'd be instinctively reluctant to, but I'm not sure why.

L1011

I had to use cold olive pomace oil as I only realised I had no solid fats at about 11am on the 25th. Came out fine crispiness wise although possibly a little less yellow than I wanted colour wise.

Most peoples liquid oils are going to be too low smoke point to use unless you're able to ensure the oven doesn't have any hotspots at all. Olive pomace oil is just about enough better.