Monday, May 12, 2014

Quick Comfort



Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food for a lot of people. For me, it's probably mashed potatoes. I don't make them very often because I'm so fond of them. They're often my carb of choice for company, though. I won't eat through an entire vat of them if I have to share and just about everyone loves mashed potatoes.

Back in the days when I worked long hours in an office and was more prone to picking up take-out, Boston Market's mashed potatoes were among my favorites. They weren't smooth and creamy – they had lumps in them. And little bits of red potato skins dotted them.

Over the years, I started making my own quick mashed potatoes, farmhouse style. They offer all the comfort without all the hassle. No mixer bowls or ricers to wash, they cook fast, and I can easily make just enough to feed two or three.


Krista's Farmhouse Mashed Potatoes
(serves two to three)


old-fashioned potato masher

salt
1 1/2 pounds (roughly) red potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash the potatoes and remove any blemishes. Cut in chunks about an inch and a half in size and place in a pot. Add just enough water to cover them. Add roughly 2 teaspoons salt to the water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.

Pour off the water. Add the butter, sour cream, and olive oil and mash by hand with the potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Boil potatoes with salt.

Mash by hand in the same pot.





Be the first to know what's coming next!


THE DIVA WRAPS IT UP won't be out until June 3rd, but Krista is having a contest. You could win a copy! One lucky person who leaves a comment on this post before midnight May 14th will win a signed copy to be shipped as soon as it's available. Good luck and be sure to leave an email address in your comment so Krista can contact you!

72 comments:

  1. I am not even hungry and that picture is making my mouth water. I have some red potatoes left from making the Easter potato salad that would just love to be mashed! Can never get enough potatoes.
    Thanks for the opportunity to win :-)
    sallycootie@gmail.com

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  2. Reminds me of my childhood and helping my grandma make delicious mashed potatoes. servedogmom@yahoo.com

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  3. I love mashed potatoes. Growing up my Mom would mix spinach into them. I still like them that way.

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  4. After years of making mashed potatoes the 'other way', with the peeling and getting out the hand mixer to make them smooth, I have been making them your way for the last couple of years. They are less trouble, and to my way of thinking, much tastier. When I can't think of a carb to serve with dinner, I throw a couple of 'taters in a pot and make mashed potatoes. sharonquiltsatyahoodotcom

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  5. I love the addition of the sour cream. Nothing more homey than mashed potatoes! Yum.

    Hugs,
    Daryl/ Avery

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  6. Mashed potatoes have to be one of my favorite foods! I love making them this way--with the skins and lumps! I've found that using a mixer makes them too gummy (although a ricer does a great job, but so much work!) I usually leave out the butter in favor of sour cream to cut down calories (snort! As if...)

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  7. I have always loved mashed potatoes and my daughter makes them with garlic and sour cream. So yummy! I try not to eat them too often, but they are hard to avoid!
    jrobinson12 (at) austin (dot) rr (dot) com

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  8. Love Boston Market's mashed potatoes! Must try your recipe.
    Your book cover reminds me of when back in the 70s I had a marathon day of baking chocolate chip cookies. My kitchen table was covered with them. I ran downstairs to do the washer-to-dryer thingie and came back upstairs to find our cat on the table licking all the chips that were sticking up out of the cookies...

    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

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  9. love mashed potatoes!! instead of sour cream I use French onion dip and butter!
    tasty!!

    anne harris

    mysandycat@aol.com

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  10. I haven't had mashed potatoes in too long, but after seeing this post the wait is over. I love the addition of sour cream, which makes the mash silky smooth. My husband whips the heck out of the potatoes with a fork to get a similar consistency, but it lacks that delicious creamy/tangy taste. Thanks, Krista.

    ~ Cleo

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  11. I love your Domestic Diva series--can't wait to make your mashed potatoes which are my husband and daughter's favorite! Celia F. bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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  12. These look so good! I have been counting down the days for the new Diva book also. I'm already hounding my library to make solute they order the book!

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  13. Looking forward to your new book!

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  14. I do like mashed potatoes and I like them made with an old fashioned masher. But my favorite carb will always be bread.

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  15. These look fabulous! And I love your books!

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  16. Waiting 22 days for the book is like waiting 22 days to satisfy a craving for mashed potatoes! Can't wait.

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  17. Krista: Phoebe and I can't wait for another delicious mystery from you!

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  18. Comfort Food = Mashed Potatoes! I am curious about the olive oil. Is that added for taste or texture or both? Just ordered your The Diva Frosts a Cupcake so I can be all caught up & ready for the next Diva read.

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  19. Love your books, and the tasty recipes too!

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  20. My son made some just last night for Mother's Day, with the end of the actual farm potatoes: a mix of blue, red, and yellow, plus some chives. Delicious, and even if the taters are sprouting and a bit soft, it doesn't matter a bit when they are mashed. I might have to go down right now and have an early dinner!

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  21. YUM, I love potatoes (too bad I have not had carbs in months). However I AM making these with steaks on the grill this week and I WILL be having m y cheat day.

    I am also SO looking forward to The Diva Wraps it Up. I love this series and am itching to read it!

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  22. My Grandfather made the mashed potatoes and they were great. I do a pretty good job my self.

    nlb1050(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  23. Wow! The cover alone will sell this book. Such a feast! I'm a macroni fan myself. Actually like it best in salads--like with broccoli salad mix and a creamy dressing . Looking forward to what the "diva" will be doing next!! Ronnalord ( at) msn ( dot) com

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  24. Mashed potatoes are a great comfort food, I had to write down your receipe, TY for sharing, will try them the next time we are having potatoes without gravy. Betty Escobar

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  25. I love the cover, I can't wait for this to come out. As for the mashed potatoes they sound yummy thanks for the recipe.
    momzillasteel at gmail dot com

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  26. I am going to have to try that recipe, always looking for new ways to make mashed potatoes so their not boring. I love the cover on this book also, I think it may be my favorite of all of them.

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  27. These mashed potatoes look yummy, Krista. I'm anxious to read about Sophie's next adventure in The Diva Wraps It Up!

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  28. MMMMMM--I love mashed potatoes. Maybe I should make some for dinner tonight.
    Thanks for the drawing for your new book. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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  29. Love, love, love mashed potatoes!!! I especially love them covered with sauerkraut, and tender pork roast on the side. Swimgirl61@yahoo.com

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  30. Yum, Krista! This is great. Mashed potatoes are my favorite. I particularly like 'em like this. Very glad to get your recipe.

    XO

    MJ

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  31. Oh my gosh! Those potatoes look so yummy! I love potatoes in any form, but mashed are my absolute favorite!! Thanks for sharing an opportunity to win an advance copy of The Diva Wraps it Up!! RW620 (at) aol (dot) com

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  32. This recipe looks delicious! Looking forward to reading the new book too! rencw@verizon.net

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  33. Love mashed potatoes...... or baked or boiled or fried or potato salad. Must....... have.... potatoes.......now! Looking forward to the next Diva book too.

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  34. Now that spring is here, it is butter and fresh chives all the way.

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  35. Used to hate making mashed potatoes until I got my Kitchenaid...now it's fun to walk away and let the machine make them sooooo creamy! kuzlin(at)aol(dot)com

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  36. I love this series! Win or lose, I will definitely get a copy! The mashed potato recipe sounds awesome! :)

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  37. I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!!!! One of my very favorite series!!!! Seems like forever since the last one was out!!! Oh, an the taters....I make them the almost the same - oil.

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  38. I love all kinds of potatoes. My mom used to make the best fried potatoes. I love mashed too. Baked and in casseroles and soups. Oh. My mom's potato soup with rivvals was fabulous. I know how to make the soup but can't figure out the rivvals. And it's just not right without them. Potatoes. Yum. ;)

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  39. These mashed potatoes look delicious and how easy it is to spruce up a simple classic mashed potato recipe! I equally love to bake and cook something new and being one of three girls, I am the first to cook up a new recipe and am the first out of three sisters to read the very first Diva Mystery novel by you, Krista, so naturally I am extremely to read this new book add it to my other Diva mystery collection!! Julia: jjarusauskas@hotmail.com

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  40. Been waiting a long time for this new book. I love the Diva series. Would love to win a copy. Those mashed potatoes look sooo good. I am trying them.

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  41. Love Mashed potatoes and the Diva Series. Both are great comfort.

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  42. Counting down the days until the new book is out. Love, love, love the cover, too.
    maryjopoole@aol.com

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  43. Mashed potatoes are my FAVE

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  44. one of these days, I will HAVE to make 'real' mashed potatoes!!!!
    thanx for the recipe............

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  45. Oh my goodness - I had dinner. Worked out. And now all I want to do is curl up with a bowl of these mashed potatoes. Good-bye hips, hello happiness!

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  47. This is making me SO hungry! jeosmond@gmail.com

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  48. Love the series, and I love the fact that you are using a real potato masher (or smasher, for one of my granddaughters). Real mashed potatoes have a few lumps :)

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  49. Looking so much forward to reading this one.
    susanne@4inchina.dk

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  50. Cant't wait to read the book. This is my favourite cozy mystery series.

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  51. 22 is so far away !!! Can't wait....love these books... keep them coming !!!!!
    ofhp@att.net

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  52. Chunky mashed potatoes with the skins are the best!

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  53. Both the photo of the potatoes and the cover of the book have my tummy grumbling. Thank you for the recipe and the chance to win your book!

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  54. Sure would love to win a copy of the new book for my wife. She is so excited for every release!

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  55. It's 9:00 p.m. here and those potatoes are making me hungry. Good luck with the new book.

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  56. I love mashed potatoes myself. They are very filling and make a nice lunch. Thank you for the chance to win. griperang at embarqmail dot com

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  57. The new book sounds great, would love to win/read it.

    debbiec1313@yahoo.com

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  58. Would love to win a copy, and the mashed potatoes look yummy!!
    MASONCML3@YAHOO.COM

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  59. That looks so good. I can't wait to try it.

    Cmkeck311@aol.com

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  60. Domestic Diva would certainly win gold
    Mashed Potatoes with dinner never grows old.
    Love reading her books while curled in my chair
    With a cat in my lap, we make quite a pair!

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  61. Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food! I love them but like you don't make they too often cuz I can eat a ton of them all by myself.

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  62. I make my mashed potatoes very similarly. But instead of olive oil I add milk. Will definitely try the olive oil. Would love to win a copy of the book!

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  63. I love your Domestic Diva series.

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  64. The book and the potatoes are appealing.

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  65. Cute cover. Thanks for the giveaway! Raquel36m (at) gmail (dot) com

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  66. I love the cover of this book. Cozy mysteries always attract me with their adorable covers. And those potatoes. YUM!!! Will have to give that recipe a try.

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  67. Generally I've never been a fan of mashed potatoes. Maybe because most of what I've had hasn't really been anything special. And I don't make mashed potatoes because baked is so much easier to do. However, I must admit this recipe looks like it would not be hard to do, and it does sound like the taste would be pretty good. I just might have to try this sometime very soon. [My granddaughter has *always* liked mashed potatoes- even KFC's mashed potatoes & gravy]

    donna(dot)durnell(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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  68. Can't wait for your next book! anajs95 (at) gmail(dot) com

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  69. Oh I know I am too late but I have to agree with mashed potatos as being the major comfort food. Thanks for another way to make them.
    I don't think I have met a potato I did not enjoy.

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