Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

My go-to mashed potato recipe is Garlic Mashed Potatoes, but I wanted to try something different last night. We were going to grill Unbelievable Chicken, which has a strong garlic flavor. I thought Garlic Mashed Potatoes would be overkill, so I modified Ina Garten's Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes recipe. I had some buttermilk to use up, left over from Ellie Krieger's Buttermilk Pancakes recipe so I didn't have to buy anything special at the store. These turned out very well and paired perfectly with our chicken and Roasted Vegetables.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Place the cubes into a pot and fill until covered with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Put the potatoes into a mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the potatoes along with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Mix until the potatoes are to your desired consistency.

Ingredients for Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.

Peel 1 and 1/2 pounds of potatoes.

Cut the potatoes into 1 and 1/2 inch chunks.

Cover the potatoes with cold water.

After bringing the water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.

Warm the butter, buttermilk and milk without bringing to a boil.

Drain the potatoes of all excess water.

Place the potatoes into a mixing bowl.

Add the buttermilk mixture, salt and pepper to the potatoes.

Mix until smooth, or until you have reached your desired consistency.

Serve immediately.

My version of Ina Garten's Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes turned out very well. We will repeat this in the future, especially with dishes that contain strong flavors. These were very mild but also brought a nice flavor to the meal. The original recipe calls for double the amount of butter, but I felt that the two tablespoons I used were sufficient. For more of a "tang" you can sub more of the buttermilk in place of the regular milk. These Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes came together with minimal effort and are another great version of mashed potatoes to have in your cooking repertoire.

-Heather