This was dinner...baked BBQ chicken (half of a breast and a thigh), roasted green beans and mushrooms and the star of this meal and reason for this post...THE MASHED TATERS!
Ermahgosh!!!! These potaters, yes potaters, were life changing. I've been craving mashed potatoes for weeks and restaurant potatoes either have too much sodium or way to much fat. So, while the chicken was in the oven baking I realized I had some baby yukons in the fridge but no milk so my gears began moving. I always keep low sodium chicken broth and while that makes an okay mashed potato I was looking to elevate it. Then I saw my secret weapon...the key ingredient that was going to take my potatoes and make them potaters. I'm going to tell you how I made them and reveal the secret ingredient that will change how you look at russets.
I cubed up about 10 baby yukon gold potatoes and boiled them in salted water. When they were fork tender I drained them and began the mashing process with a hand masher just to get things going. I then added about half a cup of chicken broth and continued mashing until smooth. This left a little broth hanging in the pot but I wasn't upset about this because as the potatoes cooled they would absorb the extra broth. Then I changed potatoes as we know than and added my special ingredient that made them creamy, smooth, rich and LOW FAT.
That's right!!! The Laughing Cow swiss cheese! They're already creamy and cheesy and at 35 calories a wedge, you won't notice that they're actually not bad for you.
I left the wheels out so that they could warm up to about room temperature so they would melt easily. I added 3 of them to the potatoes mashed with the chicken broth and allowed it to make amazing things happen. The heat from the potatoes and pot slowly melted the wheels instantly thickening them up and making them luscious and velvety. I then added a small pinch of garlic powder, a few shakes of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper and the final ingredient that definitely made these potaters. A tablespoon of fresh, not container variety, Parmesan cheese. Since Parmesan is very unctuous and strong, the smallest amount is needed for it to provide a salty bite without overpowering all of the other flavors. I was able to make great mashed potaters without a drop of milk, butter, or heavy cream...things that make mashed potatoes decadent but aren't very healthy. I served them to my mother and she was in disbelief that I hadn't put any real fat in them and couldn't tell the difference.
You can't tell me those taters don't look thick and creamy and ready to be devoured...because they were, lol
Try these potaters SOON and you will be singing their glory also! The Laughing Cow has many varieties of their cheese wedges so get creative and let me know what variations you come up with. Happy eating!!!!
*The Laughing Cow wheel photograph used from www.thelaughingcow.com
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