My hubby loves meat and potatoes. One day he actually came up to me after breakfast while he was gnawing on a sausage link saying, "You know, I should really try this low carb thing - I mean I love eggs, sausage and bacon..." Let's just say that was the shortest diet in history. All it took was a little reminder of his love for all things potato and his diet was a goner. Whether their chips, mashed, scalloped, baked, roasted or any other type of preparation - he loves them. I have to say I love them also and I am always looking for a new way to make them.
I recently got Ina Garten's new cookbook, "Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?" and there was an amazing recipe for Basil Parmesan Mashed Potatoes that were out of this world. I love the green color and can't wait to make this amazing side with some fresh basil from the garden this summer. I paired these with a balsamic marinated flank steak and let's just say I think he won't think twice when that Nordstrom bill shows up this month - he was in heaven!
Basil Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 lbs large Yukon Gold or white boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed*
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, return to the saucepan, and cook over low heat until any remaining water evaporates. Set aside.
Meanwhile, blanch the basil leaves. First, fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Bring a medium saucepan to a rolling boil, add the basil and cook for only 15 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge them into the ice water bath. Drain, and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the half and half and Parmesan and bring to a simmer. Place the basil in a food processor and puree. Add the half and half mixture to the basil and process until smooth.
With a handheld mixture, beat the potatoes until they are broken up. Slowly add the half and half mixture to the potatoes, along with the salt and pepper. Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5 comments:
I recently won this cookbook in a giveaway and was definitely intrigued by this recipe! I'm glad you gave it a rave review...I can't wait to try it!
What a cool recipe. I green color tickled me as well. ;)
Low carb diet....never going to happen...ehehehehe.
This sounds delicious! Almost like a pesto mashed potato. Yum!
I adore basil and the idea of it in mashed potatoes is kind of making my head spin. No low carb diet for me either, apparently!
Wow. Made this recipe tonite and its a winner. A
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