How to diversify ordinary mashed potatoes.

Which of us in the cold winter does not like to have dinner with puree with a cutlet or herring. Simple and delicious. Sometimes even nothing else is needed for happiness after a long frosty day. Anyway, potatoes in winter always go with a bang.

However, if you are not too lazy to be original, then our five delicious ideas will prove to be a timely answer to the question "What to cook for dinner?". Try!

Before you get started, learn about some secrets of the right mashed potatoes:

Thorough cleaning. First of all, the potatoes must be thoroughly cleaned - remove the peel from it, cut out the "eyes" and get rid of the spoiled places.

Correct piece size. Do not try to save time by cutting the potatoes into small slices - it will really cook faster, but, alas, it will have time to lose all the useful vitamins. In order to mashed potatoes was really useful, cut the potatoes for cooking into large slices.

Potatoes need to be boiled. In the mashed potatoes of some housewives, lumps can be seen that spoil its structure - this is a direct result of the fact that the mashed potatoes were not cooked. Don't make those kinds of mistakes.

Beat it right. To get a soft and airy potato mass, it is not enough just to grind the mashed potatoes, you need to beat it. This process takes place in 2 stages: at the first, the potatoes are rubbed through a grater or pounded with a special device. Next comes the whipping step - give preference to hand mixers, because automatic devices get down to business too zealously and turn your puree into an unpleasant sticky mass in a matter of seconds.

Required Supplements. To make the puree soft, you will need liquid - it is better to use not your own potato broth, but preheated milk. Also, be sure to add butter: heat it to a liquid state and add in portions, in 2-3 calls. You can also use sour cream - also a very unusual taste.

And now about the recipes themselves.

Puree is the taste of childhood! © shutterstock.com

Mashed potatoes with olive oil, coriander and fried onions

What do you need:

Potato 5 pcs.

Onion 1 pc.

Coriander

Olive oil

Fresh ground pepper, salt

How to cook:

Boil mashed potatoes in the usual way.

In parallel, fry a very finely chopped onion in olive oil and add coriander, freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

The final stage - you need to ceiling the potatoes, adding a pre-fry to it. Puree is ready!

It goes very well as a side dish for fish or just with a salad of fresh vegetables.

Mashed potatoes baked with cheese, onions and tomatoes

Puree is the taste of childhood! © shutterstock.com

What do you need:

1 kg potatoes

400 ml milk

300 gr cheese

200 g leek + 10 g butter for frying

2-3 garlic cloves

Salt, pepper, herbs

1 tomato

4 tbsp mayonnaise

How to cook:

Boil the potatoes with the addition of garlic, pepper, salt and bay leaf until tender, you can even digest the potatoes a little.

While the potatoes are cooking, finely chop the leek, fry in butter.

Pour the fried onion into boiling milk and immediately turn it off.

In milk with onions, grate half of the necessary cheese. And mix well.

When the potatoes have boiled, drain the water from them, remove the bay leaf and the ceilings of the potatoes, adding to it a mixture of milk, onions and cheese. You can add finely chopped fresh herbs or sprinkle dry.

Grease a baking sheet or baking dish with oil, put mashed potatoes in it.

Cut the tomatoes into circles and put the puree on top.

Grate the remaining cheese, mix it with seasonings and mayonnaise.

Pour over the tomato puree.

Bake in the oven at 190 degrees until the top is browned.

Mashed potatoes with garlic butter

Puree is the taste of childhood! © shutterstock.com

Crush 2 cloves of garlic in a press, put in a bowl and pour unrefined sunflower oil (you can replace it with olive oil). Let it brew, then add to the cooked puree. Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill.

Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil and Parmesan

Puree is the taste of childhood! © shutterstock.com

Add to freshly mashed puree 3-4 tbsp. l. finely grated Parmesan cheese and 2 tbsp. l. olive oil. Mix well and serve.

Mashed potatoes with peas and mint

What do you need:

500 g potatoes

300 g canned peas

1 lemon with zest

4 sprigs of mint

250 ml milk

50 g butter

How to cook:

Boil mashed potatoes in the usual way. 5 minutes before the readiness, put canned peas to the potatoes. Grate the lemon zest, squeeze the juice separately.

Mash potatoes and peas until mashed. Stir in butter, milk, lemon zest and mint. Salt and add lemon juice taste.

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Everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes. This knowledge is recorded in our subconscious, somewhere between fried potatoes and scrambled eggs.

The best side dish of all times and peoples of the post-Soviet space is mashed potatoes, and this is not discussed. But boiled potatoes so boring on weekdays that you don’t want to cook it for the holiday. Of course, at the present time there is no time for frills, because you want budget and tasty. Therefore, one should not refuse gentle and soft puree, you just need to learn how to serve it beautifully on the table!

I present to your attention 12 ideas from styrnet on how to serve mashed potatoes so that it becomes a signature dish on the festive table.

UNUSUAL WAYS OF SERVING MASHED POTATOES

The simplest and original way- lay out curly pyramids from the puree using a pastry syringe.

Put the puree on the minced meat with vegetables and bake the dish for several minutes in the oven.

small portion meat dish cover with a portion of a gentle garnish.

What a great potato ice cream idea!

No one will guess that there can be delicious mashed potatoes in puff pastry.

Guests will be surprised by spicy mashed potatoes with dill in glasses. Add a layer of sour cream between the potatoes to bring out the flavor of the dish.

Try having a potato party too!

Mashed potato fake pig will appeal to adults and children. To keep the dish in shape, add hard cheese to the potatoes. Inside you can put fried minced meat with onions and vegetables.

Make a colorful side dish by adding juice from carrots, spinach or beets to the puree. And you can mask the extra taste with spices and aromatic herbs.

colored potato balls brighten up any holiday!

Another option for oven-baked potato pyramids.

Great potato pears!

And if time is running out, there is a little trick on how to cook jacket potatoes in a couple of minutes. It is necessary to fill the washed tubers with water, tightly wrap the container with cling film and place it in the microwave. Cook at maximum power for 5-7 minutes, the time depends on the size of the potatoes.

According to the materials of the site - http://maminy-shpargalki.com/

Potato is the product that is most often consumed in our country. It can be found on the table both on a weekday and on holidays. If you show imagination, then from this product it is possible to create a huge number of various dishes for every taste. At the same time, you can increase or decrease the calorie content of dishes due to additional products, such as cheese or butter.

Preparing side dishes from potatoes is a pleasure, as there are usually no difficulties. Recipes delicious potatoes for a side dish is always quite simple and understandable. Here are some of them.

Potato side dishes for every day

Potatoes are so versatile that dishes from it may not be similar to one another. At the same time, it is possible to provide for less high-calorie recipe options. Here will be considered recipes for dishes that can be prepared every day.

Puree "Green Light"

Easy cooking method:

• potatoes must be peeled, depending on the size of the tubers, cut into large pieces;
• boil them in salted water until fully cooked;
• while the potatoes are boiling, you can start preparing the spinach leaves with garlic;
• First you need to fry chopped garlic in oil;
• spinach leaves should be divided into several parts and stewed with garlic for a couple of minutes;
• after that you need to pour cream into the pan, mix and simmer for 3 minutes, then salt;
• using a blender, you need to turn the spinach-garlic mass into a puree state;
• after the potatoes are ready, mash them in the usual way;
• combine mashed potatoes with spicy spinach mass and mix until smooth.

This dish is perfect as a side dish for many meat, chicken or fish dishes. If you exclude garlic from the recipe, you get a nutritious and healthy meals for children. Toddlers love unusual presentation, That's why green color They will definitely like potatoes. And with the help of a confectionery syringe, you can get a beautiful and original portion serving with some interesting dish.

Potato sticks for garnish "You can't imagine tastier"

In order to prepare such a dish, you need:

• peeled potatoes - 1 kg;
• chicken eggs - 1 piece;
• wheat flour - 2 cups;
• nutmeg - half a teaspoon (ground);
• butter- about 70-80 g;
• half a glass of breadcrumbs;
• 5 tablespoons of sunflower oil.

Cooking time for potato sticks is about 2 hours.

Calorie content is 100 g - 180 kcal.

Cooking process:

So tasty, sticks can be served as a side dish for chicken cutlets or stewed fish. With fried foods, you get too fatty lunch or dinner. It is better to provide something easy - vegetable salad, for example, or steamed dishes. In addition, such potato sticks can be eaten as an independent dish with sour cream, tomato or cheese sauce.

Cooking in the oven

It is believed that foods cooked in the oven are healthier than boiled or fried foods. This also applies to potatoes. Moreover, baked tubers are considered less high-calorie, unlike other cooking methods. So, how to deliciously cook potatoes for a side dish in the oven?

"Village Joys"

• young potatoes - 1 kg;
• salt, oregano, black pepper, paprika - 1 tablespoon each;
• vegetable oil - 5 tablespoons.

Time from preparation to serving ready meal- 1 hour.

Calorie content per 100 g - 325 kcal.

Cooking method:

• small tubers of young potatoes should be cut into quarters and placed in a deep dish;
• pour the oil in half a day and mix it with potatoes;
• pour spices there and mix again;
• We iron potatoes on a baking sheet, greased with oil and spices, and place in the oven for 40 minutes at a temperature of about 180-190 degrees.

This side dish is very popular among the population, as it is prepared very quickly, and in the end it turns out to be very tasty, fragrant and satisfying. Just like sticks, rustic potatoes can be eaten simply with sauces (barbecue, garlic, curry) or mustard. Tip: to keep the potatoes from being so oily and greasy, after they are removed from the oven, they should be laid out on a plate with a paper towel or napkins folded several times. So, excess oil will be absorbed into them and it will be more pleasant to eat them. Such potatoes are perfect with fresh herbs. It can be chopped finely and sprinkled on the finished dish.

Potatoes on the holiday table

On the ceremonial table, potatoes can also take their place of honor. There are a lot of options for preparing holiday dishes. Consider the most interesting recipes side dish of potatoes for the festive table.

Gnocchi in Italian

Products for cooking:

• medium-sized potatoes in the amount of 2 pieces;
• chicken egg - 1 pc;
• 2 cups wheat flour;
• salt - to taste.

The preparation time for the festive side dish is 1 hour.

Calorie content - 315 kcal per 100 g.

Cooking:

• peel the potatoes, put them in a pot of water;
• boil for 15 minutes from the beginning of the boil;
• we make mashed potatoes from it in any way (with a mixer, manually, with a blender, etc.);
• pour salt, flour into the potato mass and break 1 egg into it;
• knead a kind of dough, but do not need to knead thoroughly;
• from it you need to make flagella about 3 cm thick;
• each of them must be cut into pieces about 1 cm long;
• gnocchi need to be boiled for about 3 minutes in boiling water and as soon as they float, they are caught from the pan with a colander.

It is better to eat them immediately, while they are warm. If you have guests at home, then before they arrive, pieces of gnocchi can be prepared in advance, and boiled just before serving. Since it does not take much time, no one will notice your absence.

Potato "fan" for a side dish from the oven

Ingredients required:

• medium-sized potatoes in the amount of 8 pieces;
• butter - 50 g;
• parmesan cheese - 100 g;
• salt and pepper to taste.

It will take an hour and a half to prepare.

Energy value per 100 g - 315 kcal.

Cooking like this:

• Before you start cooking, you need to preheat the oven. The required temperature is 180 degrees Celsius;
• potatoes must be carefully peeled, washed and dried with a towel (regular or paper);
• each potato must be cut from above into slices every 3-5 mm;
• put each potato "fan" on an oiled baking sheet, pour with melted butter (butter);
• potatoes should be baked for about an hour. At the same time, you need to pour it with oil from the baking sheet constantly;
• 10 minutes before readiness - sprinkle with grated cheese and bake further.

This side dish should be served hot.

Dishes for potato garnish

The potato itself is a very versatile product that can be boiled, fried, baked, marinated and cooked in other ways. It is combined with many products: meat, fish, vegetables, cheese and others. Here's what you can cook for a side dish of potatoes.

Chicken fillet "Juicy" with pineapple and cheese

Ingredients for the dish:

• chicken fillet- 700 g;
• canned pineapples - 1 can;
• cheese - 250 g;
• mayonnaise - 5 tablespoons;
• greens for decoration;
• pepper and salt - to taste.

Cooking will take you 50 minutes.

Calories contained in a dish per 100 g - 170 kcal.

Cooking step by step:

• cut the chicken fillet into pieces, beat each one on both sides with a kitchen hammer;
• put on an oiled baking dish in the oven;
• chicken fillet needs to be peppered and sprinkled with salt evenly on each piece;
• on each of them we iron out a pineapple circle;
• grease the fillet with pineapple on top with mayonnaise and sprinkle with grated cheese on the large side of the grater;
• in an oven preheated to standard values ​​\u200b\u200b(180 degrees), put a baking sheet for 40 minutes.

The finished dish can be garnished with fresh herbs and served with mashed potatoes, for example, mixed with spinach and garlic.

Vegetable Fantasy salad for fried or baked potato side dish

Ingredients to make the salad:

• fresh cherry tomatoes - 10 pieces;
• green peas - 1 can of canned;
• lettuce leaves - 1 bush;
• sesame seeds - 1 handful;
• medium-sized fresh cucumber - 2 pieces;
• balsamic vinegar for dressing;
• olive oil- 1 tablespoon.

The preparation time for vegetable salad is 30 minutes.

Calorie content - 150 kcal per 100 g (serving).

Step by step cooking instructions:

• cherry tomatoes must be cut into 4 equal parts;
• cucumbers should be cut into thin strips;
• lettuce leaves wash, dry and tear with your hands into small pieces of equal size;
• put the vegetables in a salad bowl;
• open a jar of peas, drain the water and pour into the salad;
• season the salad mass with balsamic vinegar and olive oil;
• Before serving, each serving should be sprinkled with sesame seeds on top.

You can use ground walnuts instead of sesame seeds. It is not recommended to season such a salad with mayonnaise, as it may lose its fresh vegetable taste.

Especially if it is served with potatoes, which were cooked with butter (creamy, vegetable), cheese, fried in a pan. It is better to serve light dishes with such a side dish, for example, vegetable salad without heavy dressing, steamed cutlets. Thus, there will be no feeling of heaviness and pain on the stomach.

Section: TABLE SETTING, DECORATION OF DISHES, ETIQUETTE
22nd page of the chapter "DISH DECORATION"

The section helps with minimal effort to decorate the most different dishes and beautifully set the table.
For success, it is recommended to read from.

DECORATION OF HOME DISHES
Design specialties-22
Recipes, step by step photos
Original second (main) dishes

These deep-fried "roses" can be made from potatoes or turnips ("white roses") or beets ("red roses"). Red roses can also be prepared from potatoes by coloring them with beetroot juice. It is advisable to take older potatoes - slices from young potatoes are quite fragile.

It is convenient to cut the "petals" of the future "rose" 1-1.5 mm thick from raw potatoes on a special grater for vegetables.
And if you don’t have it, then try to cut with a sharp knife as thin as possible and evenly in thickness.

"Petals" should be thin and translucent.

We cut off one plate thicker (3-4 mm) in order to cut long square-section bars from it for the central “buds”, around which we will wrap the “petals”.

Then we soak the “petals”, “buds” and toothpicks for chopping the “rose” in a bowl of cold water, in which it is necessary to add salt (1 full teaspoon of salt per 1 liter), for 2-3 hours. This will soften the petals by dissolving some of the starch and make them much more pliable when rolling the roses.

You need the smallest toothpicks you can find on the market. If they are not preliminarily soaked in water for 2-3 hours together with the “petals”, then they will burn when frying roses in hot oil.

Let's start making roses.

We take the central “bud” and tightly wrap it with one petal. Then we take another petal and twist it in the other direction. After that, we fix the bud with a piece of toothpick.

Like this:

After that, we wrap the other petals a little away from above, so that the “rose” turns out to be open, “blooming”.

The rule must be strictly observed: one petal is clockwise, and the next is counterclockwise.

The larger you want to make a "rose", the more petals and toothpicks holding them together.

Then we slightly shake off the “roses” from the water and set aside on a napkin to dry for 3-5 minutes. Otherwise, in hot oil, excess water will “explode” and splash. (If you dip a wet rose into boiling oil, then you will have to long and tediously wash the entire kitchen of scattered fat.)

While the roses are drying, put a small cauldron with vegetable oil and heat up to the desired temperature.

To check if the oil is hot enough, take one petal from the bowl, dry it with a napkin and dip it into the oil. If it sizzles merrily and bubbles appear, then the oil is ready for frying, and if it sizzles weakly, then you have to wait a little more.

So, the oil has reached the right temperature.

We lower the rose head down and try so that it does not roll to one side for 1-2 minutes. At this time, all the petals will open. Now carefully turn it over and fry on all sides until golden brown.

When the "rose" acquires a fried color - it is ready.

We take it out of the cauldron on a paper towel to allow excess oil to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

When the "roses" cool down a bit, take out the toothpicks. It is easier to pull them out if you turn them a little around the longitudinal axis before pulling them out.
Ready-made "roses" no longer want to fall apart into "petals", and they can be carefully transferred to a plate.

Serve beautifully and serve hot.

For deep-frying, see section

Decorating the dish with potato roses:

Mix tomato paste or ketchup with water so that it is not very thick and not very liquid. We immerse the finished roses while still hot for a short time in a saucepan with tomato paste to color them a soft pink. And immediately serve on the table.
NOTE. If desired, after steaming, coloring and a little drying, you can briefly fry in pre-heated well until slightly golden brown. Then briefly put on paper so that the oil is glass.
In this case, the "roses" can be prepared in advance, and before serving, deep-fried or drizzled with oil and briefly baked in the oven at a temperature of 210-220 gr. WITH.

,

Roll the minced meat with mushrooms, giving it the shape of a sausage.
Put the folded stuffing on the bacon braid.

Carefully wrap the minced meat in a braid of bacon.
Bake for 50 minutes in an oven preheated to 200 gr. WITH.
Serve hot.

We cut cheese and ham into thin slices.
Schnitzel is made up of 5 layers.
On a slice of cheese we put a slice of ham, again cheese, then ham and cheese.
Dip in flour, then generously roll in a loose egg (do not save the egg), again in flour and again in the egg.
Pour immediately into the pan.
Fry in a pre-heated pan with oil once on each side until a nice crispy crust is obtained.
Serve immediately.
NOTE. This dish is very convenient for breakfast or for urgent preparation of a hot snack.
Preparing in this way Roman Schnitzel with Cheese. Roll a slice of very cold (straight from the refrigerator) hard cheese 1 cm thick in flour, then generously in the egg, bread generously in wheat breadcrumbs or in thinly sliced ​​strips of fresh white bread (there should be a lot of breading). Briefly fry once on each side in a preheated well-heated pan with oil.

		Zrazy can be prepared with different fillings. In this recipe, we will prepare zrazy stuffed with stuffed eggs. We will boil the eggs "hard boiled" and, cutting them in half, we will choose the yolks from them.
		In pairs, we combine the halves of the proteins filled with the mixture - we got stuffed eggs.
		We prepare the usual minced meat cutlet with onions, salt, pepper and bread soaked in water (but not in milk - see the end of the recipe for this). Minced meat is thoroughly kneaded until a plastic mass is obtained. Then the minced meat should be knocked out a little, rolling it into a ball and throwing it on the table with force (10-15 times) - cutlets from the beaten minced meat are more juicy. We take a piece of minced meat and knead it into a small cake, enough to wrap an egg in it.
		We roll the egg into minced meat, give the zraza a slightly oblong shape and roll it in a loose egg.
		We slightly stretch the muzzle of the future "hedgehog" and insert the "eyes" and "nose" either from black pepper, or cut from an olive or from a crust of black bread. We lift the “nose” a little up so that the hedgehog does not turn out to be angry, with its nose buried in the ground. We insert "needles" from vermicelli into the "hedgehogs". For small children, these noodles should be pulled out already on a plate and put next to them. Older children really like toasted vermicelli, and they crunch them like crackers.
		Hedgehogs are ready to be sent to the oven.
		We lay out the finished "hedgehogs" on a side dish and immediately serve to the table. Zrazy are beautiful on the cut and very juicy due to the melted cheese and sour cream (mayonnaise) filling.

Tips for making good meatballs:
1) Bread for minced meat it is necessary to soak in cold boiled water (in some cases it is also possible in wine or in a mixture of wine and water), but in no case in milk (soaking bread in milk deprives cutlets of juiciness due to the interaction when frying milk proteins and meat).
2) You can’t add eggs to minced meat cutlets, otherwise the cutlets will lose their juiciness
(eggs are added to minced meat cutlets as a binder only in public catering, so that more water and bread can be introduced into cutlets - without eggs, minced meat with a lack of meat will fall apart);
eggs must be introduced for a bunch of minced fish, also when preparing minced meat from vegetables or cereals.
3) When sculpting cutlets, it is very useful for juiciness to place a piece of ice and a piece of butter in the middle of each cutlet.
4) The fashioned cutlet must be rolled in flour, then in a loose egg - lezone- when frying, the egg will create an impenetrable shell and retain all the juices inside the patty (if desired, after deboning in the egg, you can bread the patties in ground breadcrumbs);
- partial breading: only in the egg or only in flour, or in flour and then in the egg;
- full breading (Viennese breading): flour - egg - crackers;
- sometimes they use double breading: flour - egg - crackers - egg - crackers);
- chicken, fish, cereals and vegetable cutlets it is possible, after deboning in flour and very abundantly in an egg, to bread in fresh, not too small bread crumbs or in fresh bread, cut into thin (3-4x6-8 mm) and rather long strips (such breading requires a lot of oil in the pan).
5) Cutlets (or meat) should only be placed on a preheated very well preheated pan (20-30 seconds after the cook has a strong alarm that the pan is already too hot) and with a sufficiently thick layer of oil (a small amount of oil makes it difficult to transfer heat from the pan to the cutlet or meat, as a result of which the product loses its juiciness, because due to poor thermal contact, the crust forms slowly, especially on the side surface).
6) First, over high heat, the cutlets are fried once on each side until a crispy crust is obtained, and then the fire is reduced, the pan is covered with a lid and left on low heat for another 10-15 minutes.
Ready cutlets are immediately served to the table.

We cut the sausages in half lengthwise, on each side we make two cuts (paws).
Cut the sausage halves in half again. Thus, we get four paws.
Let's cut the sausage into three parts: the ends of the sausage are the heads of two turtles (the middle will go to the tails). On each "head" we will make an incision with a knife - this will be the "mouth".
From the remaining medium piece of sausage we will make two tails.

		Let's form a cutlet from minced meat. We stick sausage paws and a sausage head into it, we also don’t forget about the tail.
		Now we make the shell. We cut sandwich or any other cheese into strips and put it on a cutlet with a mesh.
		Cover the cutlets with foil and put in the oven at 180 gr. From 30-35 minutes. Shortly before readiness (about 5 minutes), the foil can be removed to let the cheese bake.
		Put the hot cutlets on the greens and serve immediately to the table. Everyone is delighted!

You can make such a terrible "spider" from dough or minced meat and bake in the oven.
In the body of the "spider" you can make a recess for salad or anything else to your liking.
So that in the dough this recess does not rise during baking, you must carefully put the foil greased with oil into it and pour the beans in a slide - its weight will not allow the dough to rise.

Cordon Bleu (French cordon bleu - blue ribbon)- breaded veal schnitzel stuffed with cheese and ham, presumably a Swiss recipe.
There are several versions regarding the origin of the name of the dish.
1) The blue ribbon is still the highest distinction of a culinary specialist in France. According to one version, Louis XV presented the Order of the Blue Ribbon to the cook Madame Dubarry, and since then everyone has been awarded this title. good cooks and meals.
2) Perhaps the cordon bleu schnitzel was the winner of one of the culinary competitions in France.
3) Perhaps the schnitzel used to be tied with a blue ribbon.
4) So called chefs or skillful cooks. The name originated as early as 1578, when King Henry III created the order of Saint Esprit, who wore the cross of their order on a blue ribbon. The king provided the owners of the order with all the best, so their banquets were famous for their delicious dishes. At the end of the nineteenth century. in Paris, the weekly Cordon Bleu Cook was published, and the Cordon Bleu culinary school was founded, which is still known throughout the world ...
5) According to this version, the creation of cordon bleu cooks of a wealthy Basel family was inspired by blue ribbons in the hair of girls playing in the yard.
To prepare cordon bleu, between two thin schnitzels or in one thicker schnitzel with a pocket cut into it, one slice of cheese (Emmental, Gruyère or Raclette) and low-fat boiled or raw smoked ham are placed.
The edges are fastened with wooden skewers.
Then the schnitzel is breaded in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried in melted butter.
Instead of veal, pork and chicken breasts are also used.
In this case, we will cook stuffed chicken breast schnitzel.
Before cooking "Cordon bleu" it is important not to forget to prepare the Blue Ribbon in advance for the solemn rewarding of yourself after the successful completion of cooking.

Cepelinai with cracklings and sour cream.

Cepelinai with fried onions and cracklings.

:
For 3 good servings:
- 3 kg potatoes
It is important that the potatoes have enough starch (alas, it depends on the variety - how lucky). But, if there is not enough starch in the potato, add 1-2 tbsp to the mass when kneading. spoons of potato starch.
For the filling (quantity to taste):
- minced meat - pork, beef or their mixture
- dried porcini mushrooms
- bulb onions
- salt and ground pepper to taste

CEPELINAI (cepelinai, often in cookbooks - zeppelins, which is incorrect). Lithuanian National dish from potatoes with meat or curd filling.
The basis of the cepelinai is potato mass, consisting of raw grated potatoes and boiled mashed potatoes in a ratio of 3:1. Before combining the raw mass with mashed potatoes, raw potatoes are squeezed out. Both parts mix well.
From the combination, a wide pancake (in shape) is made, into which the filling is laid, and such a “pie” is boiled in steeply salted water for 12 minutes.
After boiling, it is doused with gravy of sour cream and fried onions with lard. Meat filling often prepared from grated liver fried with onions and lard, cottage cheese - from a combination of cottage cheese, raw eggs, onions and lard.
Cepelinai is a fast-cooking dish, but it tastes only hot, freshly served. It does not tolerate warming up or leaving for another day.

About a third or a quarter of the potatoes are thoroughly washed and boiled with the skin (in their skins).
Please note that the potatoes must be well cooked - then they will have to be mashed into a homogeneous puree.

To make the puree homogeneous and airy, choose starchy varieties. It is a round potato with a light brown skin and light flesh. Starchy potatoes are very soft during cooking, which provides a delicate texture of mashed potatoes.

But it is better not to use potatoes with a red skin. It does not boil so much, and the puree may turn out with lumps.

What to put in mashed potatoes, except for potatoes

Classic mashed potatoes can not do without or cream. If you want the dish to have an exquisite flavor, add a few sprigs of thyme, rosemary or other sprigs to the liquid. herbs and heat over low heat.

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Another product that makes mashed potatoes tasty and airy is butter. Do not feel sorry for him and do not be stingy when buying: the oil should be high in fat. Alternatively, you can take refined sunflower or olive oil. However, the taste of puree in this case will be slightly different.

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Both milk and butter should be at room temperature. If they are cold, the potatoes will cool faster and the mashed potatoes will take longer to mix. Which means it can be sticky.

Some put a few tablespoons of sour cream, mayonnaise, natural yogurt or grated cheese in mashed potatoes. For taste, you can also add a raw egg, fried onions or mushrooms.

If you want to give the puree an unusual color, boil the potatoes with beets, carrots or pumpkin.

Fresh greens will add a special aroma to the finished puree. It can be mixed with the rest of the ingredients or sprinkled on a dish.

How to make mashed potatoes

Peel the tubers and cut them into equal large cubes. Thus, the potatoes will boil more evenly and.

Put the cubes in a saucepan and cover with cold water so that it covers them by about 1 cm. Salt and put on fire.

By the way, about when to salt mashed potatoes, they are still arguing. Alone Perfect Mashed Potatoes , Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk, Black Pepper and Green Onion chefs salt at the beginning, others Emeril Lagasse's Garlic Mashed Potatoes- at the end, third Mashed Potatoes, Kind Of Robuchon-Style- after boiling water. Opinions were divided among famous professionals about what water to put potatoes in: in cold Perfect Mashed Potatoes or already boiling How to make mashed potatoes.

One thing can be said for sure: the potatoes should be completely boiled. It is easier to check the degree of readiness with a knife. It should easily pierce a cube of potatoes.

pluckytree/Flickr.com

When the potatoes are ready, drain the liquid from the pan, put the cubes in a colander and dry them slightly. To do this, put them again in a hot pan and leave for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. This will evaporate excess liquid from the potatoes, which is not needed at all in mashed potatoes.

Remember: the colder the potatoes, the more difficult it is to mash them.

Puree should not be mixed in a blender: because of this, it can become viscous, sticky and, of course, tasteless. It is better to mash by hand using a pusher with holes. This won't take much effort from you, because starchy potatoes become very soft after boiling.

To purée more hard varieties You can use a potato press. It will help get rid of lumps.

LexnGer/Flickr.com

Then add the rest of the ingredients to the puree and mix well. Do not spare time and effort on this if you want the puree to turn out airy. At the end, you can season the puree with spices to taste and mix everything again.

Bonus: 4 Unusual Mashed Potato Recipes

Stacy Spenceley / flickr.com

Ingredients

• 400 g potatoes;
• 400 g of cauliflower;
• 1 tablespoon of butter;
• ½ cup cream;
• ¼ cup grated cheese;
• salt - to taste;
• a few sprigs of green onions.

Cooking

Put the potatoes to boil. 10 minutes after the water boils, add the cauliflower florets and cook until tender.

Put butter, cream, cheese, salt into the mashed vegetables and mix well until smooth.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions before serving.

Ernesto Andrade/flickr.com

Ingredients

• 1 kg of potatoes;
• 1 onion;
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil;
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar;
• a few teaspoons of salt;
• ½ teaspoon of sugar;
• 2 cups unsalted coconut milk;
• 1 tablespoon dried garlic.

Cooking

Boil potatoes. Put the chopped onion in a frying pan drizzled with oil, add vinegar, a teaspoon of salt and sugar and cook for a few minutes. The onion should soften and become golden brown.

In crushed potatoes, add garlic and fried onions. Mix well until smooth.

3. Mashed Baked Potatoes and Celery - Jamie Oliver's Recipe

jamieoliver.com

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes;
• sea ​​salt - to taste;
• 300 g of celery root;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil;
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme;
• spices - to taste.

Cooking

Rinse potatoes and sprinkle with salt. Pierce the skin with a fork and place the tubers on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 190°C.

Cut the celery root into large pieces. Place it and the garlic cloves on baking paper, sprinkle with salt, pepper, drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil and toss with your hands. Wrap the paper so that you get a bundle.

Half an hour after the start of cooking potatoes, put the bundle on a baking sheet and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Potatoes and celery root should be completely baked.

Peel the potatoes, squeeze out the pulp of the baked garlic and mix these ingredients with the celery. Add thyme leaves, olive oil and mix well. Season the puree with spices.

finedininglovers.com

Ingredients

• 800 g potatoes;
• 500 g pumpkin;
• a little melted butter;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• salt - to taste;
• 125 ml of milk;
• 100 ml cream;
• 2 tablespoons of butter;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• a little nutmeg;

Cooking

Peeled potatoes and cut into cubes and boil for 25-30 minutes. Heat the ghee in a frying pan and fry the chopped garlic in it.

Drain the liquid from the pan, dry the vegetables and add milk, cream and butter to them. Mix well, season with salt, pepper, garlic and nutmeg and mix again.