Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

[Mama Mangia]

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

3 white or red potatoes
6 tablespoons nonfat milk
1 tablespoon prepared wasabi paste or 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare unpeeled potatoes as directed in Basic Mashed Potatoes to Serve Four. Mix in milk, wasabi paste or horseradish, and chives. Season with salt and pepper.

[The Ironic Chef]

Uses whole milk and butter when Mama isn't looking. I love horseradish with potatoes.

[Mama Mangia]

That's all I cook and bake with - real butter and whole milk - but I drink skim milk - figure that one out.

[chubbyalaskagriz]

Oprah used to have a restaurant in Chicago way back in the early 80's called "The Eccentric". That was back when horseradish in mashed spuds was a new and trendy thing (or at least new to me!). I remember tasting them and thinking "Why haven't we done this forever?"

Great recipe, mama!

[Mama Mangia]

Funny thing Kev - but that has been going on for many years - long before Oprah!

[chubbyalaskagriz]

I imagine so, mama!

Being aged 42- and raised in the boring rural mid-west where food was (is) pretty mainstream and not "unusual" at all, raised in my teensy l'il farm-town, I knew of only "regular" mashed potatoes growing-up.

I remember at 18 leaving home, traveling to Chicago and beginning my apprenticeship at a country club and being amazed that you could make mashed potatoes with the peel still left on! (Lordy- how SQUARE was I? Ha!)

Then I became aware of horseradish mashed, parmesan mashed, and eventually 'taters w/ every added ingredient from caviar, to smoked sturgeon, to shaved truffle!

But here in my original neck o'the woods where I find myself living again? Still, anything above & beyond plain ol' S&P is still considered "uppity" or at the very least "foreign"! Ha!

[Mama Mangia]

Well Kev -

coming from an very strict Italian family - I've seen the "rulers" (men of the family) throw things off the table if they didn't like it or approve of it -

thank heaven mom was tough - eat what you want and don't make a sound about what others are eating - or you won't get fed - period!

my great uncles were &#^@#'s at the table - and they never shut up - cripe they would flap their jaws till they died - even gluing their mouth shut in the coffin didn't help if you ask me! put a bottle of ketchup on the table and it went flying!

my dad was not like that - mom would have beat the tar out of him

we got to eat many foods - not just our traditional family meals - that's the way it should be

[The Ironic Chef]

I still can't handle mashed potatoes with peels in them. I have always liked mine white and creamy. I go so far as to use white pepper in them. I hate to even miss a blemish on a potato and get that dark spot in my bowl of spuds. The first time I had Mashed potatoes with the peels in them, I just thought to myself, "how lazy a person must be to not peel potatoes". To me, that's a trend that should never have been started, lol. Throws them off the table.
I have had something like mashed potatoes but different. The dish used many root vegetables, Horseradish, potatoes, turnips, parsnips and such. I actually really enjoyed all these items whipped with butter and cream and seasoned just right.

[Mama Mangia]

I agree with you about mashed potatoes - I enjoy potato skins - just not in my mashed potatoes.

[The Ironic Chef]

Whew, glad Mama didn't smack me upside the head for throwing food.