WE’VE ALL SAMPLED “fancy”
restaurant versions of mashed potatoes
made with ingredients such as goat
cheese or prosciutto. But sometimes
you want simpler, rustic mashed
potatoes. That kind of basic, comfort-
ing mash was my goal here, with the
added aim of making it easy.
With that in mind, my first move
was to leave the potatoes unpeeled
and simply slice them before boil-
ing. While many modern recipes call
for Yukon Gold potatoes to create
a creamy mash, I grew up eating a
version made with russets, which are
starchier and create a fluffier mash;
russets it would be. Once the spuds
were tender, I drained them and
returned them to the same pot (to save
on cleanup) before mashing.
Butter was a must, as was some sort
of dairy. My tasters preferred the rich
(but not too rich) flavor and silky tex-
ture of half-and-half. Combining the
butter and half-and-half and micro-
waving them until warm made them
easier to incorporate into the mashed
potatoes. With that, I had an easy,
delicious, and simple rustic mash.RUSTIC MASHED POTATOES
Serves 4
Don’t be tempted to use another kind
of potato here; your mash won’t be as
fluffy. Scrub the potatoes well.2 pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled,
sliced ½ inch thick
¾ teaspoon table salt, plus salt
for cooking potatoes
1 cup half-and-half
10 tablespoons unsalted butter,
cut into 10 pieces
½ teaspoon pepper- Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt
in large saucepan, add water to cover
by 1 inch, and bring to boil over high
heat. Reduce heat to medium and
simmer until potatoes are tender and
paring knife can be easily slipped into
and out of potatoes, 18 to 22 minutes. - Meanwhile, combine half-and-half
and butter in 2-cup liquid measuring
cup and microwave, covered, until
butter is melted and mixture is warm
to touch, about 2 minutes. - Drain potatoes and return them to
saucepan. Using potato masher, mash
potatoes until smooth and no lumps
remain. Stir in half-and-half mixture,
pepper, and salt until fully combined.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.
LOADED RUSTIC
MASHED POTATOES
Decrease half-and-half to ¾ cup and
butter to 8 tablespoons. Stir 4 slices
bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces and
cooked; ½ cup shredded cheddar;
¼ cup sour cream; and ¼ cup minced
fresh chives into potatoes after
half-and-half mixture is incorporated.Rustic
Mashed
Potatoes
No peeling, no fancy
ingredients, no fuss—
just perfect mashed
potatoes. by Matthew Fairman
WHEN I THINK of chickpeas, my
mind usually goes to the spice-rich fla-
vors of curry or hummus. But recently
at a neighborhood Greek restaurant,
I was served tender chickpeas tossed
with garlic and a tangle of wilted spin-
ach in a vibrant, lemony, dill-scented
broth. It was light, bright, and punchy.
In an effort to re-create this enticing
dish, I started by heating sliced garlic
and red pepper flakes in olive oil in a
large skillet until the oil was infused
with flavor. Next, I added two drained
cans of chickpeas before stirring in
curly-leaf spinach one handful at a
time, waiting for one portion to wilt
before adding the next. Before serving,
I spritzed the dish with lemon and
sprinkled in a hefty ¼ cup of fresh dill.
The dish was OK, but it felt a little
awkward to make, and the elements
tasted disjointed, not unified. Switch-
ing to a Dutch oven provided enough
room so that I could add the spinach
all at once, which was much more
efficient. Baby spinach proved easier
to work with than curly-leaf spinach,
as it didn’t require any stemming or
chopping. Cooking the spinach for just
5 minutes kept its flavor fresh.
A little chicken broth provided a
savory base that carried all the flavors
and tied the dish together. The last
trick was not draining one of the cans
of chickpeas; the starchy chickpea liq-
uid added body to the broth, giving it
Greek Spinach
and Chickpeas
a creamy consistency that was perfect
for sopping up with a torn piece of
crusty bread.GREEK SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS
Serves 4 to 6
Vegetable broth can be substituted for
the chicken broth, if desired.2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
plus extra for drizzling
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (1 can
drained and rinsed, 1 can left
undrained)
10 ounces (10 cups) baby spinach
½ cup chicken broth
1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice1. Combine oil, garlic, and pepper
flakes in Dutch oven and cook over me-
dium heat until garlic is golden brown,
3 to 5 minutes.- Stir in 1 can drained chickpeas,
1 can chickpeas and their liquid,
spinach, broth, and salt. Increase heat
to medium-high and cook, stirring
occasionally, until spinach is wilted
and liquid is slightly thickened, about
5 minutes. Off heat, stir in dill and
lemon juice. Season with salt and pep-
per to taste. Transfer to shallow platter
and drizzle with extra oil. Serve.
This light, lively vegetable side dish
comes together in minutes. by Morgan Bolling