Mashed potatoes are a comforting and versatile dish that fits quite a lot of events, from easy meals at residence to dinner events and elaborate vacation celebrations. When made nicely, mashed potatoes are heat, creamy, savory, and simply scrumptious. They’re fantastic when made merely, but additionally profit from components that may significantly improve mashed potatoes. It is no surprise you could find this dish within the cuisines of many international locations world wide, like Irish colcannon potatoes, tacky French pommes aligot, and aloo bharta, spiced Indian mashed potatoes. Traditional mashed potatoes made in Italy aren’t any exception. This model is decadently clean, options the nice and cozy notes of nutmeg, and is creamy and wealthy from a mixture of butter and milk, and typically grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a three-ingredient model of Italian mashed potatoes that options russet potatoes, heavy cream, and floor nutmeg (together with salt). To maintain to 3 components and add further creaminess, heavy cream is used to exchange the butter and milk. Tender, boiled russet potatoes are handed by way of a ricer, the identical kitchen system used to mash potatoes for gnocchi, after which whisked nicely by hand with the opposite components. This creates the attribute smoothness of Italian mashed potatoes. Do not pass over the grated nutmeg, which offers the ultimate fragrant contact. Hold this Italian mashed potato recipe in thoughts the following time you are searching for the right accompaniment to quite a lot of second programs.

For this recipe, you’ll first want russet potatoes, that are starchy. Starchy potatoes soak up much less water and keep drier. If wanted, you possibly can substitute different styles of starchy potatoes, however keep away from waxy potatoes. Starchy potatoes are finest boiled with the pores and skin on, so do not peel the potatoes earlier than starting the recipe. Additionally, you will want heavy cream, floor nutmeg, and salt. Freshly floor nutmeg will present a brisker, stronger taste, however pre-ground nutmeg will even work.

Place the unpeeled potatoes in a pot and canopy them with chilly water by about an inch.

Deliver the water to a delicate boil, add salt, and cook dinner for about 30-35 minutes till tender and simply pierced with a toothpick.

Warmth the cream in a small saucepan on medium-low till heat, stirring sometimes, about 5 minutes. Take away from the warmth and put aside.

Drain the potatoes and minimize them in half.

Whereas the potatoes are nonetheless scorching, fastidiously move the potato halves, minimize facet down, by way of a potato ricer, gathering the riced potato in a mixing bowl. Take away the skins from the ricer sometimes to forestall clogging. Alternatively, cool the potatoes barely, peel with a paring knife, and mash in a bowl with a potato masher.

Progressively pour the nice and cozy cream into the bowl whereas whisking nicely till the combination is clean and lump-free.

Add the nutmeg and salt and whisk till evenly mixed.

Style and regulate for salt and nutmeg, and serve scorching.

To make the basic model of Italian mashed potatoes as a substitute of the three-ingredient model, you may want butter and entire milk as a substitute of heavy cream. A European-style butter provides you with a richer taste and creamier consequence. Many of the steps are the identical as on this recipe. The new boiled potatoes will probably be pressed by way of a potato ricer and right into a bowl, after which whisked with heat milk and cubed butter till clean. Then, nutmeg and salt to style (and grated Parmesan if desired) are combined in. You’ll be able to peel the potatoes with a knife after boiling them and earlier than ricing them if you wish to keep away from the potential for any bits of pores and skin making it by way of.

Typically Italian mashed potato recipes name for an extra step. Rice the potatoes right into a saucepan as a substitute of a bowl, and use room temperature milk as a substitute of warming it first. Whisk the riced potatoes with simply the milk till clean within the saucepan, after which warmth it over a really low flame for not more than 5 minutes. Lastly, add cubed butter, nutmeg, and salt (and optionally available Parmesan) and whisk till nicely mixed. Serve instantly.

Many individuals surprise easy methods to substitute milk and butter for heavy cream as a result of most individuals usually tend to preserve milk and butter within the fridge, however solely purchase heavy cream occasionally. You should use both milk and butter or heavy cream on this recipe, and it really works in others as nicely.

To substitute 1 cup of heavy cream on this recipe, use ¼ cup of unsalted butter and ¾ cup of entire milk. Dice the butter and heat the milk earlier than mixing them with the potatoes. If you wish to use this substitution in other forms of recipes that decision for the components to be liquid, then the method is completely different. Soften the butter first after which regularly pour within the milk whereas whisking to mix.

The butter will present the same fats content material to heavy cream, whereas the milk provides the liquid dairy half. Nonetheless, understand that it will probably’t be used instead of heavy cream in all instances. Whereas it will probably simply taste and thicken soups and be baked into desserts, for instance, you will not be capable to whip it into whipped cream. You may should make a visit to the shop to get bona fide heavy cream for that, however we wager the dessert will probably be price it.