A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else: flavor, creativity, wow factor. Psst—we don't count water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (specifically, 1/2 cup or less of olive oil, vegetable oil, and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. Today, we’re off-roading classic mashed potatoes.
When potato chips started being commercially produced in the early 20th century, plain was a given. They were “just thin slices of potato, fried and salted,” Janis Thiessen writes in Snacks: a Canadian Food History. It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that flavors, like barbecue and salt-and-vinegar, started springing up.
In the decades since, such varieties have flooded the market. Lays famously hosted “Do Us a Flavor” contests, encouraging consumers to pitch their best ideas—think wasabi ginger, New York reuben, cappuccino—for a $1 million grand prize.
But despite all this hoopla, according to Statista, plain is still America’s favorite flavor (anti-flavor?), with runners-up in the following order: barbecue, sour cream–and-onion, and salt-and-vinegar.
There’s good reason salt-and-vinegar was one of the original potato chip flavors and still hasn’t lost its swagger. It’s a prime example of Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, aka the four components you need to ace any dish:
Generous salting amplifies potato-iness and encourages finger-licking. Fry oil is fatty and enriching, not to mention what turns a wiggly potato slice into a crunchy-munchy cracker (thanks to cooking super hot fry oil). And the vinegar interrupts all this starchy richness, so your palette doesn’t get worn out.
Pretty smart, right?
Mashed potatoes could learn a thing or three from this template. At its most basic, this Thanksgiving staple involves just-boiled potatoes (Russets yield a fluffy cloud while Yukon Golds are yellower and more flavorful—opt for either or a mix), warm whole milk and/or heavy cream, and butter (usually lots).
Optimizing the salt and introducing an acidic ingredient changes everything.
Let’s start with the salt: Many cooks season their mashed potatoes one time, along with the liquid-of-choice and butter. You and I are going to season them three times:
- Generously season the water in which you’re boiling the potatoes. Like pasta, this ensures the spuds are salted throughout.
- Salt again while mashing. Now is the time to taste and adjust, repeatedly, until you get it right.
- Sprinkle more salt (flaky is great if you’ve got it) on top just before serving.
Picture each step as a confidence-booster for the potatoes, helping them be less soft-spoken and more sure of themselves.
Onto the acid: A teeny-tiny splash of vinegar transforms the mash. Think of it like squeezing a lemon cheek over fried rice or jumping in the ocean on a hot summer day. I love malt vinegar, which reminds me of tangy English chips (aka “steak fries” in America). You could also use white, apple cider, or rice, but something like sherry or balsamic would be distracting.
And, after all, the point here is subtlety. Like salt-and-vinegar potato chips, these mashed potatoes look utterly plain from a distance. But also like salt-and-vinegar potato chips, once you take a bite, you won’t be able to stop.
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Written by: Emma Laperruque
Popular on Food52
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Bravo, Ed.
Sharp New York - 2 oz.
Sharp Vermont - 2 oz.
Sharp Wisconsin - 2 oz.
Mild California - 2 oz.,
then Gruyere - 4 oz.,
abd Parmesan - 4 oz.
Grated into shreds, mixed together in one bowl and sprinkled atop each layer.
6 Cheeses Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks, Mushrooms, and Bacon
Hint: Really saves time if you slice all the potatoes while the leeks and mushrooms are softening.
Recipe Times: Hands-on: 30 Minutes Oven Total: 1 Hour and 50 Minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
• 1 tablespoon of white pepper (fresh ground black pepper works, if white is not readily at hand).
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped/minced.
• 1/2 cup half-and-half.
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream.
• ¼ stick of unsalted butter (plus 1 tablespoon).
• 4 cups sliced leeks (approx. 3 to 4), use white bulb, no greens, slice into 1/8-inch thick rounds).
• 6 oz. Portobello mushrooms, chopped.
• 6 oz. Shitake mushrooms (remove/discard stems) chopped.
• 1/2 lb. cooked bacon, drain and chop in one inch pieces.
• 10-12 (about 3 lbs.) medium Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced, about 1/8-inch thick (mandolin is helpful).
• 8 oz. Cheddar cheese blend (2 oz. ea., Sharp New York - Sharp Vermont - Sharp Wisconsin - Mild California
• 4 oz. Smoked Gouda (Gruyere also works well).
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs (optional).
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Melt ¼ stick of butter at a low to medium heat, add sliced leeks and mushrooms. Stir well, coating all with butter, cover and sweat until soft (10-15 minutes). When done, transfer to a separate bowl. Drain and reserve liquid.
In a separate bowl, grate and mix well the Smoked Gouda and all Cheddar Cheeses.
In a blender, mix first six ingredients (kosher salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, ½ and ½, and heavy cream, use low speed/pulse).
Use/melt 1 tablespoon butter and coat a large casserole dish (9" x 13"), bottom and sides. May also use a 3-4 qt. ceramic Dutch Oven.
Arrange a bottom layer with sliced potatoes. Cover these with one third of the leek and mushroom mix, sprinkle with a third of the cheese blend and add half of the bacon pieces. Pour one third of the 6 blended ingredients over this layer.
Do second layer of potatoes, another third of the leeks and mushrooms, cheeses, and the last of the bacon. Pour one third of the blended ingredients over this layer. Do a third (top/final) layer of potatoes, leeks and mushrooms, cheeses, and blended ingredients. You may also now add in the reserved liquid from the leeks and mushrooms, if desired.
Cover, bake, 400° for 50 minutes
Uncover, sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and Panko crumbs. Return to oven and continue baking until top is nicely browned and bubbly (may take an hour for this, keep an eye on it and don't let things get too brown!). Remove, let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Serve, and gracefully accept the compliments!
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