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Perfect Mash

Sometimes there is nothing better than plain old mash, even just on its own! Of course, it’s delicious with so many foods, best of all with stews or roasts. You can leave it plain, or add buttered cabbage to make traditional Irish Colcannon, or add peas boiled in milk to make Irish Champ. Mash is incredibly versatile and marries well with so many flavours, so experiment with your additions, such as grated cheese, chopped herbs, spices (such as turmeric), crushed garlic, mustard, even horseradish! Mash also makes a great topping for pies and casseroles (see the recipe for Smoked Fish Pie on page 213).

SERVES 4

VEGETARIAN

1kg (2lb 4oz) floury potatoes (new potatoes are too waxy for mashing)

50g (2oz) butter

200ml (7fl oz) boiling milk, or 150ml (¼ pint) boiling milk and 60ml (2fl oz) single cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Clean the potatoes, but do not peel them. Place in a saucepan of cold water with a good pinch of salt.

2 Bring the water up to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Then pour out all but about 4cm (1½in) of the water and continue to cook the potatoes on a very low heat. Do not be tempted to stick a knife into them – the skins will break and they will just break up and get soggy if you do. About 20 minutes later, when you think the potatoes might be cooked, test them with a skewer; if they are soft, take them off the heat. I find that cooking potatoes in their skins is the best way to make fluffy potatoes, ideal for mashing.

3 Peel the potatoes while they are still hot, holding them in a tea towel to prevent scalding your hands. Mash them immediately. Add the butter, but don’t add any milk until they are free of lumps. When the potatoes are mashed, add the boiling milk (or milk and cream) – you may not need it all, or you may need more, depending on the texture of the potatoes. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Rachel’s handy tip

If you want to make the mash in advance, add a little extra milk, as the potatoes dry out as they sit. The mash keeps well in a warm oven as long as it is covered with a lid, plate or tin foil.