Ten Minute Mashed Potatoes

I never would have thought it possible, and yet, I did just that last night.

Cooking Light magazine was the magazine I cut my cooking teeth on.  It taught me how to cook- and how to cook healthily.  I have so many recipes and cooking methods in me repertoire thanks to that magazine, and yet, over a year ago, I finally stopped subscribing after about ten years.  A change in leadership changed my beloved magazine, and I was not happy with the changes.  When a year went by and I had not once cooked out of the magazine, it was time to stop giving them my subscription dollar.  But then, at the doctors office, I picked up the March issue of this year, and I liked what I saw.  Some tweaking had been done in my absence, and I found recipes that intrigued me, so once again, I subscribed, hoping they wouldn’t let me down.

Yesterday the kids and I had planned a taco dinner for our evening meal.  It was simply going to be tacos with toppings, and I’d decided I would roast some potatoes to go with- simply seasoned with some cumin and smoked paprika, I was looking forward to it.  Only I completely forgot about the potatoes, and when I remembered, it was about 20 minutes to dinner time, and there was literally no way I was going to take those red potatoes and turn them into anything that could go with dinner.  Potatoes don’t cook that fast.  Or do they?

In the June 2011 issue of Cooking Light, there is a recipe for Microwave Mashed Potatoes, and do you know, when I first saw it, I kind of rolled up my nose at it and thought that I would never cook potatoes in the microwave.  I don’t use my microwave for cooking at all- I reheat with it, I thaw with it, but cook with it?  Blech.  And yet, here I sat with a pile of potatoes intended for dinner, and no other way to get them done in time.  I decided to go for it- skeptical the entire time.  But do you know what?  When all was said and done, when it was dinner time, I had a lovely side dish of Smashed Bacon and Cheddar Potatoes.  They were delicious!  Trust me when I say to follow the directions to the letter- I had my doubts, but the end result was a mashed potato dish that was delicious, and that I’ll most definitely be making again.

The changes I made to the recipe were to use full fat dairy products as I always do.  I was surprised by the lack of any kind of butter, but then I was also surprised to learn that I didn’t miss the butter in the end product.  I also left out the chives, only because I didn’t have any, and in the end just added a sprinkling of parsley for color.  I went with the Bacon and Cheddar variation because I happened to have both shredded cheese and cooked bacon crumbles on hand.  So good, and so fast to put together, I never would have thought it possible.  Thank you Cooking Light for continuing my cooking education!

Microwave Smashed Potatoes

from Cooking Light, June 2011

4 (6-ounce) baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream.

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place potato pieces in a microwave-safe bowl.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap; cut a 1-inch slit in the center of the plastic wrap.  Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Add sour cream and remaining ingredients to bowl; mash with a potato masher.  Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup).

Southwest Variation:

Omit sour cream and chives; decrease milk to 2 tablespoons and salt to 1/4 teaspoon.  Add 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce; and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin.

Roasted Garlic Variation:

Omit sour cream and chives; increase milk to 3/4 cup.  Add 1/4 cup coarsely chopped roasted garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage.

Bacon And Cheddar Variation:

Decrease salt to 1/4 teaspoon.  Add 1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese and 1 slice center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.