A rare time for all of us in the Oh! You Cook! household. olderSon (Sgt. Yinon of the IDF special forces to you) has been enjoying a rare leave home with us. middleChild is home during college spring break. theDaughter (along with her hubby) are visiting this weekend to hear her brother speak about his soldering experiences right after Purim services. To celebrate this rare convergence of children, I made some pretty standard comfort food: chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and challah. Today I will share with you the awesomely unstandard Kick-A** Horseradish-Spiked Mashed Potatoes.
I had the pleasure to sample horseradish-spiked mash potatoes for the first time, served appetizer-style in martini glasses no less, at a wedding a few years back and was blown away. Despite the awesomeness, I never got around to making some myself until this past Friday night, due to amajor push slight nudge from this month's linkup challenge.
Traditionally served alongside gefilte fish or roast beef, horseradish can be used to kick up the flavor in other foods as well. It is a very pungent root, with heat similar to wasabi. If your eyes normally water merely by chopping onions, be sure to have every single window in your house open wide before you start grating a horseradish root. Otherwise, your eyeballs will jump out of your head and bounce as far away as possible in self-defense. No joke. The sight, which ironically you won't be able to see due to said bouncing eyeballs, is not pretty. Which is why I buy my horseradish safely pre-grated at the factory and sealed in a jar variety.
The red variety gets its color from added beets, and stains anything it touches. Unless you like your mashed potatoes bleeding pink, be sure to pick up the white stuff. I would suggest starting out with a teaspoonful of horseradish, mixing it in and seeing how you like the 'taters, adding more to taste. Oh, and if this would be the first time you are trying some, be sure to not buy the bottle labeled HOT. If you think the regular red and white are spicy ...
youngerSon, who spikes pretty much everything except ice cream with sriracha sauce, said the tablespoon of horseradish I used was too much. theDaughter simply hated it. Everyone else thought it was great. So you be the judge.
Kick-a** Horseradish-Spiked Mashed Potatoes
Yield: 6-8 servings
3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Tbs. vegan sour "cream"
1 tsp. chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)
1 tsp. to 1 Tbl. grated white horseradish (from a jar)
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 stick (4 Tbl.) margarine, cut up
1 cup rice or soy milk
1 scallion, green part thinly sliced (for garnish)
1 cup or 2 of your favorite gravy (optional)
Place potatoes in a 4-quart or large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, then lower heat to medium-high. Cook until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
Drain, then return to same pot and let rest for a few minutes (to allow any remaining water to evaporate). Hit the potatoes a few times with a masher to break down large pieces. Add sour "cream," garlic, horseradish, salt, pepper and margarine. Continue to mash a few more times to incorporate. Pour in the rice (or soy) milk and mash until the potatoes have very few to no lumps (depending upon your family's preference) remaining.
Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve immediately, passing around the gravy.
Or plate potatoes along with the entree. Ladle gravy over potatoes, if desired, and serve immediately.
I had the pleasure to sample horseradish-spiked mash potatoes for the first time, served appetizer-style in martini glasses no less, at a wedding a few years back and was blown away. Despite the awesomeness, I never got around to making some myself until this past Friday night, due to a
Traditionally served alongside gefilte fish or roast beef, horseradish can be used to kick up the flavor in other foods as well. It is a very pungent root, with heat similar to wasabi. If your eyes normally water merely by chopping onions, be sure to have every single window in your house open wide before you start grating a horseradish root. Otherwise, your eyeballs will jump out of your head and bounce as far away as possible in self-defense. No joke. The sight, which ironically you won't be able to see due to said bouncing eyeballs, is not pretty. Which is why I buy my horseradish safely pre-grated at the factory and sealed in a jar variety.
The red variety gets its color from added beets, and stains anything it touches. Unless you like your mashed potatoes bleeding pink, be sure to pick up the white stuff. I would suggest starting out with a teaspoonful of horseradish, mixing it in and seeing how you like the 'taters, adding more to taste. Oh, and if this would be the first time you are trying some, be sure to not buy the bottle labeled HOT. If you think the regular red and white are spicy ...
youngerSon, who spikes pretty much everything except ice cream with sriracha sauce, said the tablespoon of horseradish I used was too much. theDaughter simply hated it. Everyone else thought it was great. So you be the judge.
Kick-a** Horseradish-Spiked Mashed Potatoes
Yield: 6-8 servings
3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Tbs. vegan sour "cream"
1 tsp. chopped garlic (about 1 large clove)
1 tsp. to 1 Tbl. grated white horseradish (from a jar)
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 stick (4 Tbl.) margarine, cut up
1 cup rice or soy milk
1 scallion, green part thinly sliced (for garnish)
1 cup or 2 of your favorite gravy (optional)
Place potatoes in a 4-quart or large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, then lower heat to medium-high. Cook until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
Drain, then return to same pot and let rest for a few minutes (to allow any remaining water to evaporate). Hit the potatoes a few times with a masher to break down large pieces. Add sour "cream," garlic, horseradish, salt, pepper and margarine. Continue to mash a few more times to incorporate. Pour in the rice (or soy) milk and mash until the potatoes have very few to no lumps (depending upon your family's preference) remaining.
Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve immediately, passing around the gravy.
Or plate potatoes along with the entree. Ladle gravy over potatoes, if desired, and serve immediately.
Yep, nothing like horseradish mashed potatoes. We love them at our house too. Nice to have a pareve version.
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