Monthly Archives: November 2018

Mashed Potatoes

Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner would not be complete without mashed potatoes on the table.  This comfort food also shows up at a lot of our family dinners.

These are not just regular mashed potatoes.  In fact, they are actually riced potatoes.  I discovered the potato ricer many years ago after I messed up some mashed potatoes for a special family dinner.  I’m not sure what happened at that dinner, but the potatoes turned out very gluey and not good at all.  Possibly, it was the type of potato or the fact that I beat them too much with my hand mixer.

I went on a hunt for perfect mashed potatoes and found recipes using the ricer.  Many years later I’m still using the ricer to make perfect mashed potatoes.  Using a ricer almost guarantees light and fluffy mashed potatoes with no lumps.

I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe.  Yukon Golds are a light yellow-fleshed potato and make wonderful mashed potatoes.  We can thank our good friends to the North for this potato as it was developed in Canada in the 1960’s.

The first published recipe for mashed potatoes can be found as far back in history as 1747.  Hannah Glasse’s cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy was published in 1747 in England.  The  cookbook was very popular in England.  Her recipe for mashed potatoes is very similar to the way they are made today:

“Boil your potatoes, peel them, and then put into a sauce-pan, mash them well.  To two pounds of potatoes, put a pint of milk, a little salt, stir them well together, take care they don’t stick to the bottom, then take a quarter pound of butter, stir in and serve it up.”

I bought a paperback copy of The Art of Cookery Made Plan and Easy  from Amazon.  However, there are free digital versions available.  Here is a link to a digital version on Google Books.

These potatoes are light, fluffy, and incredibly smooth.  It may take a little extra work using a potato ricer, but the results are worth it.  Below is a photo of the riced potatoes I made for this post.  Even with using the potato ricer, this is a really easy and fairly quick recipe.

Mashed Potatoes

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened (use more butter, as needed)
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Half and Half, (or more, as needed)
salt and pepper to taste

Peel, wash, and cut the potatoes in medium sized chunks.  Place in a Dutch oven and cover with water.  Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are fork tender.  Drain the potatoes.  Using a ricer, press potatoes into a large bowl.  Stir in the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper.  Add milk until of the desired consistency.  Do not over stir the potatoes or they could become gummy.  Serve immediately, if possible.  If not serving immediately, reheat in microwave in 1-minute intervals until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  

Below are pictures of the potatoes from our Thanksgiving Day dinner.  My son-in-law made the potatoes using the ricer.

 

Note:
Potato ricers are available from Amazon starting at $14.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

I only discovered this recipe for Jiffy Corn Casserole about 5 years ago.  A friend gave me the recipe, and I have been making it since then for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners.  It may be my favorite comfort food now.

There are several different versions of the recipe.  Some recipes do not have eggs or the cheese in them.  I think that this version that includes both eggs and cheese is perfect.

The recipe uses a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix which can be used to make muffins as well as other recipes such as the corn casserole in this post.  The muffin mix is widely available in most USA grocery stores and also from Walmart.

I didn’t know this till researching this post but Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix is made by a Michigan Company.  The Jiffy Mix brand is a product of the Chelsea Milling Company located in Chelsea, Michigan.  The mill was established in 1901.  The Jiffy Mix product was first marketed in 1930.  Some of the other products made by Jiffy Mix include muffin, cake, fudge and pie crust mixes.

The Chelsea Milling Company is about a two hour drive from Grand Rapids by way of I96 East.  They do offer tours of the Jiffy Mix plant.  I need to remember that this summer for a day trip.  It should be an interesting tour.

This Jiffy Corn Casserole is delicious, easy, and makes a perfect side dish for your holiday dinner.

Jiffy Corn Casserole

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 – 14.75 ounce can cream style corn
1 – 15.25 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
2 eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 – 8.5 ounce package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Grease or spray with non-stick spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cream style corn, whole kernel corn, eggs, sour cream, muffin mix, melted butter, and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.  Pour into the prepared casserole dish.  Bake in a preheated oven for 45-50  minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.  Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes longer or until the center is firm.

Notes:
1.  The recipe is titled Spoon Bread Casserole on Jiffy’s website.  It doesn’t include cheese and uses smaller cans of corn.
2.  This is a very easy recipe as you simply combine the ingredients and bake.

 

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