Olive oil mashed potatoes.
I know it’s just beginning to be fall (and it still feels like the dog days of summer) but I’ve been cooking for winter… but it’s not my fault! I visited my favorite farm on Saturday and, when asking what they were up to, found out that they had just slaughtered their 3-year-old laying hens! (Okay, I know it may seem funny to have happy exclamation marks and the word slaughtered in the same sentence, but when it comes to ethical meat eating, eating the meat from a hen who’s lived a long three years romping around an idyllic farm is the ultimate experience.)
At the sound of the word stewing hen, my face lit up, and the words coq au vin spewed out of my smile. To seal the deal, the hens were sold to me for $5.00—I just can not pass up a bargain. I picked up a bottle of Burgundy on the way home, and had my birds marinating within the hour. 36 hours later, heaven was chewed up and swallowed.
But you’ll have to wait for that (sorry!) because tonight all I have to offer you is olive oil mashed potatoes. These potatoes, however, deserve much more respect than I am giving them by setting you up for coq au vin first and while they aren’t as delicious as the coq au vin (nothing could be), they are delicious. These potatoes stood up for themselves on the plate—they didn’t let the chicken cast too big of a shadow over them, and their presence was much appreciated.
I’ve had coq au vin with mashed potatoes before—and had those potatoes get lost in the shadow. For some reason, butter mashed potatoes, as good as they are, become, I dunno, passe when served with a wowzer like coq au vin. Everyone’s had butter mashed potatoes, most people can recall their goodness instantly. So when you are serving them with a doozey, it’s easy to eat (and enjoy) but to not really notice them.
Olive oil mashed potatoes are a different story. They’ve got a little somethin’-somethin’. Diners can’t take more than two bites without pausing to hmmm and wonder what makes these mashed potatoes special. It’s worth every penny to use a great-tasting, salad-dressing quality olive oil here, as the flavor of it will shine. If you really like the olive oil flavor, try making this potatoes without the whipping cream; I couldn’t give up the creamy mashed potato taste and added it in. They go wonderfully with chicken but would also pair well with bluefish or salmon.
Now go get your hands on some stewing hens and check back with me in a few days for the coq au vin recipe.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
serves 4-6
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, halved (or quartered if large)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt, pepper
Place potatoes in a pot and add water enough to cover by half an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the potato water.
Place potatoes, olive oil, cream, and 1/2 cup of the potato water in a bowl and mash with a masher. You can whip the potatoes with a hand mixer or in a kitchenaid to make them creamier. Add more olive oil and cream to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
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September 16th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I have seen mash recipes using olive oil instead of butter and have always been curious to try them…you have certainly sold them on me now! They sound fabulous!
Looking forward to the coq au vin!
September 17th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Oh dear, is it mashed potato season again? I’m still working on tomatoes! But this looks delicious.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
This is a nice twist on mashed potatoes. I’m going to have give this recipe a whirl.
September 17th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
My recipe is very close to that except I use butter and garlic. But, I think a may have to give the oliver oil a try. Never thought of it; how curious.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Lovely potatoes! I love olive oil mashed potatoes. Good comfort food.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:32 am
It does sound far more elegant than normal “mash”, I must say. Look forward to trying this out. :)
September 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I’m using olive oil more& more with mashed potatoes and the result you have here is making me want potatoes as the main!
September 18th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Joey: Thanks – it should be up this weekend
Kitt: I know! For some reason I got the itch for winter last week.
Donald: mmm garlic sounds good!
Wendy: it was kind of elegant… good dinner party potatoes.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Hmm. I’m not a fan of mashed potatoes (I know, sacrilege!) but I’ll try these – with your coq au vin recipe. Cause that is something that’s been on my to do list. I had all these classic chicken dishes to try and so far I’ve only done marsala and piccata. I’ll do au vin next with your impending post. ;)
September 18th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Oh yum – I’m a huge mashed potatoes fan and this looks great!
Hey – do you have a button for your blog? I’d like to add it as one of my fave’s on my blogroll.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
this post was an internal reality check for me:
as much as i covet a good bargain, somehow $5.00 for life now sounds like a pittance and makes me a little ashamed of my own habits. convenience does that once in a while–
it is so much easier to be disconnected from our eating choices in this modern life. when we buy from people we know and see the life we take, we honor the animals that lived for us and sustain us. i wish all had the choice of full accountability for their food purchases.
i didn’t mean to get all serious on your olive oil taters, but tasty coq au vin IS that serious! ; )
September 19th, 2008 at 4:38 am
I must admit I prefer the traditional mash with butter and hot milk, but I’ve tried the olive oil mash couple of times, and liked that, too :)
September 19th, 2008 at 5:55 am
That’s great. What a lovely colour.
September 19th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Thanks for the post, my daughter worships the potato in all its forms, I was running out of options – this looks great!
September 19th, 2008 at 8:25 am
mmmm. now I’m dreaming…
favorite o/o and mashed combos…Brandade! salt cod with mashers o/o and milk. The briney salty is a great foil to the richness of potatoes and high quality fats. Also try sweet potato mash with o/o. the oil tempers the sweet…add a touch of balsamic and some parmiggiano, good stuff.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Yes! And try this…I grow herbs in my garden in the Summer… Get some fresh Rosemary….use as much as you care to taste…it’s pretty potent… saute’ it in olive oil with some finely chopped shallots, and add a few cloves of freshly roasted garlic…I chop the top off a garlic bulb, drop a couple teaspoons of olive oil on top wrap in aluminum foil and pop it in the toaster oven for about 20 mins….
After saute’ on med heat for 10-12 mins…ad to the taters and mash it all up…I use some heavy whipping cream or half/half…
Anyway that’s my garlic/rosemary mashed tater recipe that never fails to get raves…and it goes well with anything from meat loaf to salmon…
September 19th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
my lil brother loves potatoes…esp potatoes mashed! will definitely try this.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
They sound very enticing
September 19th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Thanks, Barry!
September 19th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Saw the link to your recipe on the WordPress main site. It looks and sounds great, I’m going to try making the potatoes tonight! Thanks!
September 19th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Looks so creamy.. and such an easy recipe, too. Looking forward to your coq au vin post :)
September 19th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I’ve been using olive oil in mashed potatoes for year, because we rarely have butter in the house. I also leave the skins on. Other than that, I’m a more-or-less normal person.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Wow- I just made olive oil mashed potatoes a few nights ago. You are so right about cooking for fall- after 3 months of fiddling with the charcoal, I’m happy to be back inside cooking food with substance.
I’m going to throw ‘em in the stand mixer next time- never thought about that (and quite frankly am typically too lazy to haul it out). Can’t wait for the coq au vin!
September 20th, 2008 at 10:10 am
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September 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
These potatoes look incredible. I cannot wait to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa
saucychef.blogspot.com
September 27th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Love the picture of those potatoes, they look go creamy. Can’t wait to make this recipe, going to try it tonight. Thanks. Also love you blog
October 9th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
this looks AMAZING as well. i am going to have to make this for the boyfriend too:) thank you!:)
January 26th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I’ve made these before and LOVE them. Using garlic or herb-infused olive oils adds an extra “Hmmmm??” look to the lucky diners face, as they try to pick out the flavor. And using farm fresh produce is the only way to go. Thanks for the great read! Don’t miss my blog at http://www.galfoodie.com.