Let's Get Smashed

By now those of you reading have probably noticed that a lot of my recipes are very informal. There are a lot of side notes and personal opinions. I do this for a few reasons. To be quite honest, I personally hate the way normal cookbooks are set up. You get a list of ingredients and generally the instructions are extremely vague. If I didn't watch Food Network as much as I do, I would have no idea what a lot of things in those fancy shmancy cookbooks are. My guess is, most of you don't sit around watching food network all day, and have never been to cooking school, so I try to explain the instructions so that someone who has never made the dish or is just plain terrible with recipes (or cooking in general) can follow them easily and hopefully make it out of the kitchen undefeated. ;) Another reason I do this is for my children (and grandchildren if they get to read it). I want them to be able to make these recipes for their families, and while they are reading/making them, I want them to feel like I am in the kitchen with them.

With all of that being said, here is another one of those informal (and super yummy) recipes!

Smashed Taters

Everybody likes mashed potatoes, right? It seems like we all make them a little different, and I am no exception. I have gotten several compliments on these “smashed taters”, so I guess I need to share my secret. =)

5 or 6 medium potatoes

4 tablespoons (or 4 cubes) of chicken bullion. (or you can use chicken broth instead of water.)

½ stick of butter

Heavy cream or milk

• Cut the potatoes into cubes, (I usually make them about ½ inch or so) and place them in a large pot.

• Fill the pot with cold water until it just covers the potatoes.

• Add the bullion to the water and boil the potatoes on medium heat until they are tender. (I don’t really know how long this takes, because I am usually busy cooking whatever it is I am having with them. LOL. But if I had to guess, I’d say about 20 min or so… maybe 30, who knows.)

• Drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot.

• With your potato smasher or hand mixer, (or whatever it is you use to smash your taters) mash in the butter.

• I didn’t put a measurement for the cream/milk because it always takes a different amount. If you aren’t an experienced mashed potato maker, and you can’t just guesstamate how much cream/milk to use, I would put in ¼ cup at a time. That way you can add a little and smash, add a little and smash, until you get the consistency you like.