Mashed New Red Potatoes
Serves 6
A simple and tasty variation on mashed potatoes
Ingredients
12 large garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
Italian seasoning
8 New Red potatoes, about golf ball size, sliced in half
Salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
3 small shallots
1 cup cottage cheese
Quarter cup (1 stick butter)
1 cup plus half cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 strips crisped bacon
Reserved grease from 6 strips of bacon
Directions
In a mixing bowl, add 6 cloves of garlic, splash just enough olive oil on to
coat, sprinkle a little Italian season, salt and pepper and mix to coat
garlic.
Place the garlic in the center of a piece of aluminum foil and fold over the
edges of the foil to completely cover.
Place the foil envelope on a baking sheet and place in 350-Fahrenheit oven
for 30 minutes. A toaster oven is perfect for this job.
Do this ahead of time or time so it is ready when water for potatoes is
heating up.
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with about an inch of water.
Add at least 2 tablespoons salt and swish around to dissolve.
You should use warm water and your hands as a swisher, you can feel the salt
dissolve.
Take the remaining 6 garlic cloves and quarter them.
Peel the outer skin off the shallots and rough cut into pieces about the
same size as the garlic quarters.
Add the cut garlic and shallots to the salted water and potatoes.
Place on burner and bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat so you have a nice
even boil and set your timer for 15 minutes.
While water is boiling, prepare the sauce for the mashed potatoes.
Put the cup of cottage cheese into a blender along with the roasted garlic
and salt and pepper to taste.
Blend until smooth, taste and adjust for salt and pepper if needed.
After the potatoes have boiled for 15 minutes, check for doneness with a
fork.
Fork should slide into potato easily.
If it does, take off heat and drain.
My colander fits in my pot, so I just pull the colander out and let drain
over one sink and dump the water down the drain of the other sink.
Place the potatoes back into the empty pot and be sure to scrape out all the
cooked garlic and shallots on to the potatoes.
Cut the stick of butter into 4 parts and place around in pot with potatoes.
Add the bacon grease.
Using a wire potato masher, mash the potatoes until all the pieces of potato
feel like they have been mashed.
Scrape out the sauce from the blender and add to the pot of potatoes.
Mix in well.
Add the crumbled bacon.
Stir in the 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and taste, add more salt and
pepper if needed.
Scoop out mashed potatoes into 6 ramekins or a nice quart sized casserole
dish.
Cover with remaining shredded cheddar cheese.
Set aside or refrigerate until ready to prepare meal.
Place in 350-Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes; use the oven mitts you bought
from blind mice mart to remove from oven, as they are very hot. (Smile)
Serve immediately and listen to the ooh's and ah's from your guests, as they
taste this easy to prepare and mouth watering side dish.
