2022-11-24 Thu 09:16 AM ![[moses_mashed_potatoes_with_bacon_cheddar_chives._super_deliciou_8d0b8d9e-8168-4811-94a4-5b95efb27e20.png]] *Note: photo is AI generated, but the potatoes do look like this. Looks like this one might have red onions which is a good idea but I haven't tried it.* I've made this one a couple times already for past events. It's good. Making it for Thanksgiving today 2022-11-24 Thu. --- https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/best-mashed-potatoes-recipe/ These mashed potatoes are indulgently buttery, creamy, tangy, and made with a subtle hint of garlic (or you’re welcome to add much more, if you’d like). They are perfectly dense and thick (_not_ the whipped and ultra-light variety). They feature not one, but two popular kinds of potatoes (whose skins you are welcome to leave on or peel off). They can be mashed as smooth or as chunky as you prefer. Oh, and they’re also incredibly easy to make ahead of time and reheat in the microwave if you have a busy menu lineup and would like to prep them ahead of time. - Ingredients: - 5 pounds potatoes _(I use half Yukon Gold, half Russet potatoes)_ - 2 large cloves garlic, minced - fine sea salt - 6 tablespoons butter - 1 cup whole milk - 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature - Matt adds cheese to the mix. get a nice block of cheddar and shred it up - toppings: - chopped fresh chives or green onions, - freshly-cracked black pepper - bacon - Need a potato masher - INSTRUCTIONS 1. Cut the potatoes. Feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on. Then cut them into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick, and transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water. 2. Boil the potatoes. Once all of your potatoes are cut, be sure that there is enough cold water in the pan so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes. Stir the garlic and 1 tablespoon sea salt into the water. Then turn the heat to high and cook until the water comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the boil) and continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in easily with almost no resistance. Carefully drain out all of the water. 3. Prepare your melted butter mixture. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat the butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted. (You want to avoid boiling the milk.) Set aside until ready to use. 4. Pan-dry the potatoes. After draining the water, immediately return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, place it back on the hot burner, and turn the heat down to low. Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes. Remove the stockpot entirely from the heat and set it on a flat, heatproof surface. 5. Mash the potatoes. Using your preferred kind of potato masher (I recommend this one in general, or this one for extra-smooth), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. 6. Stir everything together. Then pour half of the melted butter mixture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid. Repeat with the remaining butter, and then again with the cream cheese, folding in each addition in until just combined to avoid over-mixing. (Feel free to add in more warm milk to reach your desired consistency, if needed.) 7. Taste and season. One final time, taste the potatoes and season with extra salt if needed. 8. Serve warm. Then serve warm, garnished with gravy or any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy! Alright, before we get to the actual recipe, here are a few essential mashed potato tips to always keep in mind: 1. **Use a blend of potatoes.** Some people have a strong preference for starchy Russet potatoes or buttery Yukon golds, but I highly recommend using a 50/50 mixture of both! It’s a tip I picked up from [The New York Times](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016898-classic-mashed-potatoes) years ago, and I’m convinced that the mixture gives you the best of both worlds. 2. **Avoid waterlogging your potatoes.** Too much water is the enemy of mashed potatoes, but the good news is that it’s easy to avoid. Simply: - Cut your potatoes before boiling. _I know,_ so many of us grew up boiling whole potatoes. But the problem is that large, whole potatoes cook unevenly. So instead, cut your potatoes into evenly sized smaller pieces for quick and even boiling. - Don’t overboil. Or maybe the tip should be, don’t multitask too much near the end of the potatoes’ cooking time. ;)  You want to keep a close eye on them. As soon as a dinner knife can be inserted easily into a potato with minimal resistance, they’re ready to go. - Pan “dry” after cooking. Immediately after the potatoes have been drained, return them to the hot stockpot, and place it back on the hot burner over low heat. Hold the stockpot handles with oven mitts, and gently shake the pan for about 1 minute to release some of the steam and moisture from the potatoes. Then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside, and your potatoes will be ready to mash 3. **Don’t overmix!** In general, you want to stir the liquids into your mashed potatoes until they are _just_ combined. Otherwise if you overmix, they can crossover into gummy territory, which is no good. 4. **Season with salt along the way.** We will use fine sea salt to season the potatoes both (1) in the water while they are boiling and (2) afterwards, when adding in the butter, milk and cream cheese. As always when seasoning a recipe, taste-taste-taste along the way while you are preparing the recipe, and add more salt as needed. 5. **Invest in your preferred kind of masher.** If you like slightly chunky mashed potatoes, I recommend [this OXO masher](https://amzn.to/2SQLOu2). If you like smooth mashed potatoes, I recommend [this smooth OXO masher](https://amzn.to/2QnmwSz). ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade mashed potatoes recipe: - **Potatoes:** As mentioned above, I’m a big fan of using a mixture of - half Yukon gold potatoes and - half Russets. It gives you the best of both worlds — starchy and waxy potatoes — and they cook alongside one another beautifully. Although you are welcome to use just one variety of potatoes, if you prefer. - **Garlic:** When serving these to a crowd, I like to add just 2-3 cloves to give just a subtle undertone of garlic to the recipe. But if making them for myself, I will toss in up to a dozen cloves. I adore good garlic mashed potatoes. - **Butter:** When I eat mashed potatoes, I go all-out and want them to taste nice and buttery. We don’t add as much butter here as many recipes do, because the other ingredients help to make them nice and creamy, but you are of course welcome to add in more butter if you would like. If you are eating dairy-free and/or vegan, feel free to use vegan butter. - **Milk:** I always use whole cow’s milk in my mashed potatoes. But you are welcome to amp things up with half and half or heavy cream, if you prefer. Or alternately, you can use a lighter milk or plain plant-based milk. - **Cream Cheese:** I always grew up making mashed potatoes with cream cheese and enjoy the slight extra tangy and creaminess that it adds. Be sure that your cream cheese is room temperature and cut into small 1-inch chunks, for easy melting into the potatoes. - **Fine sea salt:** Which we will use to season the potatoes at different points while cooking. (If you only have iodized table salt on hand, note that its flavor is different and stronger so you will need to use a bit less.) - **Toppings (Optional)**: I like to sprinkle on some chopped chives or green onions, for some extra color and freshness. Plus lots and lots of freshly-cracked black pepper. But feel free to add on what you’d like! # [[Journal section]] ### 2023-11-10 Fri 23.27pm Try brown butter this year? https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/dining/how-to-make-the-best-mashed-potatoes.html ### 2023-11-23 Thu 10.23am Give me the ingredients formatted as markdown checklist. > [!ai]+ AI > > Certainly! Here are the ingredients formatted as a markdown checklist: > ```markdown > - [ ] 5 pounds potatoes (half Yukon Gold, half Russet potatoes) > - [ ] 2 large cloves garlic, minced > - [ ] Fine sea salt (to taste) > - [ ] 6 tablespoons butter > - [ ] 1 cup whole milk > - [ ] 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature > - [ ] Cheddar cheese (optional, for mixing in; amount to taste and shred yourself) > - [ ] Toppings: > - [ ] Chopped fresh chives or green onions > - [ ] Freshly-cracked black pepper > - [ ] Bacon (cooked and crumbled, optional) > ``` > Remember to adjust the quantities based on your needs or preferences. [[Todo. Thanksgiving 2023 shopping list]] Now please create a nice organized flow chart for executing this recipe. Oh a > [!ai]+ AI > > Creating a flowchart for a recipe in text form is quite challenging due to the limitations of plain text formatting. However, I can outline the steps in a structured, sequential format that resembles the logical progression of a flowchart: > ```plaintext > Mashed Potatoes Recipe Execution Flow > 1. PREPARE INGREDIENTS: > - Wash and peel (optional) potatoes. > - Cut into even 1-inch chunks. > - Mince garlic. > - Shred cheddar cheese (if using). > - Cook and crumble bacon (if using). > 2. BOIL POTATOES: > [ ] Put potato chunks in large stockpot with cold water (1 inch above potatoes). > [ ] Add minced garlic and 1 tbsp sea salt. > [ ] Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high. > [ ] Boil for 10-12 minutes until knife inserts easily. > 3. DRAIN POTATOES: > [ ] Carefully drain all water from potatoes once cooked. > 4. PREPARE BUTTER MIXTURE: > [ ] While potatoes boil, heat butter, whole milk, and 2 tsp sea salt until butter melts (avoid boiling). > 5. DRY POTATOES: > [ ] Return drained potatoes to stockpot on low heat. > [ ] Gently shake stockpot for about 1 minute to release steam. > 6. MASH POTATOES: > [ ] Use preferred potato masher to mash potatoes to desired consistency. > 7. MIX INGREDIENTS: > [ ] Gradually fold melted butter mixture into mashed potatoes. > [ ] Add cream cheese and fold until just combined. > 8. SEASON TO TASTE: > [ ] Taste and adjust with extra salt if needed. > 9. GARNISH AND SERVE: > [ ] Serve warm with chosen toppings: cheddar cheese, chives/green onions, black pepper, bacon. > 10. OPTIONAL PRE-AHEAD TIPS: > - Prepare ahead of time if necessary and reheat before serving. > - Try brown butter as mentioned in the note dated "2023-11-10 Fri 23:27 pm". > Remember: Do not overmix to avoid gummy texture! > [Note: Connect each step with arrows or lines if constructing an actual flowchart.] > # Referenced Notes > - Consider adding red onions as per image note from "2022-11-24 Thu 09:16 AM". > - Check out brown butter tip from "2023-11-10 Fri 23:27 pm". > ``` Give me a flowchart again, but this time include quantities of ingredients, and output in mermaid.js which will show up for me in Obsidian. > [!ai]+ AI > > Certainly! Below is a code snippet to create a flowchart in the mermaid.js syntax which you can use in Obsidian to visualize the flow of making mashed potatoes. The flowchart includes quantities for each ingredient. > ```mermaid > flowchart LR > A[Start] --> B[Prepare Ingredients] > B --> |"5 lbs potatoes (half Yukon Gold, half Russet)"| C[Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks] > B --> |"2 large cloves garlic"| C > B --> |Shred cheddar cheese (optional)| C > B --> |Cook and crumble bacon (optional)| C > C --> D[Boil Potatoes] > D -->|"Add to pot with cold water"| E[Add garlic & 1 tbsp sea salt, then boil] > E --> F[Boil 10-12 minutes until tender] > F --> G[Drain Potatoes] > D --While potatoes boil--> H[Melt Butter Mixture] > H --|"6 tbsp butter, 1 cup whole milk, 2 tsp sea salt"| I[Mix until butter melts, don't boil] > G --> J[Dry Potatoes on low heat for 1 min] > J --> K[Mash Potatoes to Desired Consistency] > K--> L[Fold in Melted Butter Mixture half at a time] > L--> M[Fold in "4 oz room temp cream cheese"] > M--> N[Taste and Season with extra salt if needed] > N--> O[Garnish with toppings: chives/green onions, black pepper, bacon (optional), Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)] > O-->P[Serve Warm] > P-->Q[End] > style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px > style Q fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px > ``` > Copy and paste this code into an Obsidian note to generate your flowchart. This will create a visual representation of the recipe steps along with quantities for each ingredient. Please make sure that your Obsidian app has the necessary plugin installed to interpret and display `mermaid.js` syntax. there was an error parsing your mermaid diagram above. Please try again. Also, make the visial flowchart flow from top to bottom so that I work through it by scrolling down on the page. > [!ai]+ AI > > Apologies for the confusion earlier. Here's a revised `mermaid.js` flowchart that should be compatible with Obsidian and flow from top to bottom: > ```mermaid > graph TD > A[Start] --> B{Prepare Ingredients} > B -->|5 lbs potatoes (half Yukon Gold, half Russet)| C[Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks] > B -->|2 large cloves garlic, minced| C > B -->|Cheddar cheese (optional)| C[Shred cheddar cheese] > B -->|Bacon (optional)| C[Cook and crumble bacon] > C --> D{Boil Potatoes} > D --> E[Add to pot with cold water] > E --> F[Add garlic & 1 tbsp sea salt, then boil] > F -.-> G[Boil 10-12 minutes until tender] > G -.-> H{Drain Potatoes} > D -.-> I{Prepare Butter Mixture} > I -.-> J[Melt 6 tbsp butter with 1 cup whole milk and 2 tsp sea salt; Do not boil] > H -.-> K{Dry Potatoes} > K -.-> L[Dry on low heat for 1 min] > L --> M[Mash Potatoes to Desired Consistency] > M --> N{Combine Ingredients} > N --> O[Fold in half of the melted butter mixture] > N --> P[Fold in remaining butter mixture, then fold in 4 oz room temp cream cheese] > P --> Q{Taste and Season} > Q--> R[Taste and add extra salt if needed] > R--> S[Garnish with toppings: chives/green onions, black pepper, bacon (optional), Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)] > S-->T[Serve Warm] > A[End] > style A fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px > style T fill:#ccf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px > ``` > Copy this code snippet into an Obsidian note to create a vertical flowchart for the mashed potatoes recipe steps with ingredient quantities included. Make sure you have the Mermaid plugin enabled in Obsidian to view the chart properly. Your flowchart attempt produced an error: > Error parsing Mermaid diagram! Parse error on line 3: ... -->|5 lbs potatoes (half Yukon Gold, ha -----------------------^ Expecting 'SQE', 'DOUBLECIRCLEEND', 'PE', '-)', 'STADIUMEND', 'SUBROUTINEEND', 'PIPE', 'CYLINDEREND', 'DIAMOND_STOP', 'TAGEND', 'TRAPEND', 'INVTRAPEND', 'UNICODE_TEXT', 'TEXT', 'TAGSTART', got 'PS' Please try again. Do you see the above recipe for mashed potatoes? I want a mermaid.js flowchart for executing that recipe, going from top to bottom, with quantities of ingredients included.