I love me a mashed potato. Add a few cloves of garlic into the mix and you have lovely garlic mashers! Or for something really special, I substitute celery root for some of the potatoes. Celery root is my mother’s favorite vegetable, but in our little town in upstate New York it’s not always easy to find. One year for Christmas I got a huge bag of celery root and put it under the tree for her. She says it was the best Christmas present she ever got! If you haven’t tried celery root before, you’re missing out—it’s a big, craggy, knobby thing, it smells like celery, is slightly sweet, and has a wonderfully starchy texture kind of like a potato.

　　

Ingredients

serves: 4

　　2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

　　4 cloves garlic

　　Kosher salt

　　1 cup heavy cream

　　8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 8 pieces

　　

Step 1

Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot, cover them with 1 to 2 inches of water, and season generously with salt. TASTE IT! (If the water is underseasoned at this point, you will have bland mashers—and that’s just sad.) Bring the pot to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Cook the potatoes until fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Drain the potatoes and garlic and pass them through a food mill or ricer while they’re still hot. DO NOT use a food processor or blender for this step or you’ll end up with sticky, gluey mashed potatoes.

　　

Step 3

While you mash the potatoes, put the cream in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil (BTB). Once the cream reaches a boil, remove from the heat.

　　

Step 4

While the potatoes are still hot add a third of the cream and a third of the butter and stir vigorously. Repeat this process twice more until all of the cream and butter is incorporated. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve immediately or cover with foil and keep warm in an oven at low heat.

　　

ANNE ALTERNATE

Step 5

Substitute 1 pound of peeled, chopped celery root for half of the potatoes and skip the garlic. Start with the celery root and boil it for 6 to 7 minutes in well-salted water, then toss in the potatoes. Proceed with the recipe.

　　Cook Like a Rock Star