Can anyone share their mashed potato and gravy recipe?

Question

Mashed potato

Answer 1

Sure. My wife makes the BEST mashed potatoes and gravy. Both of these are hers. First the mashed potatoes recipe:

Garlic mashed potatoes are another traditional holiday side dish. I DO usually make this two or three days ahead and just pop it in the oven before serving.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Cook 5 lbs potatoes with 2 tsp salt in 4 cups water
Drain and mash. I usually do this in my kitchenaid mixer as well.
Add:

6 oz cream cheese
2 T. finely minced garlic (I like to use grilled garlic cloves that I’ve minced)
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups milk
When ready to serve:
Spread potatoes in greased baking dish; bake in oven at 350° for 45 minutes.

Now for the gravy:

I’m always surprised by how many people I know are totally intimidated about making gravy. Making gravy for the Thanksgiving turkey is about the easiest thing, so I thought I’d outline how I do it. (For those of you who already know how to make gravy and could practically do it in your sleep, I’m sure there are other blogs to read right now….)

Gravy for Turkey

See all those lovely rich juices at the bottom of the pan once you’ve lifted the cooked turkey out to carve it? Those juices are going to become your gravy.

Start by pouring the drippings (another name for the turkey juice) into a sauce pan. Make sure you don’t fill the saucepan more than 2/3 full. Bring the drippings to a rolling boil. Salt this just a little.
Meanwhile, stir 4 T. of cornstarch into a cup of very cold water. If you add cornstarch directly into hot juices, the cornstarch will just clump together and get nasty. So stir it into cold water. Once the juices are boiling heartily, slowly stir in the cold water/cornstarch mixture. Stir constantly. I like to use a wire whisk for this part although a spoon will work just fine.

Bring the gravy back to boiling and cook until it thickens to the degree that you want it to. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also use flour instead of cornstarch. I grew up using cornstarch and prefer the flavor but it really doesn’t matter a lot which you use.

Any leftover gravy can be thrown into the stock pot that you’re cooking the turkey carcass in on the stove. It adds some really nice flavor to the stock.

Answer 2

Wash and peel 6 potatoes. Cut them in half and place in a 2 quart pot 1/2 filled with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Boil the potatoes about 20-25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes. Use a fork and carefully pierce the potato for softness. They should be soft and not too mushy. When done, drain the water. Add the butter, milk and a shake of pepper. Mash with potato masher until they are fluffy. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Pile lightly and high into a serving dish. Place 2 tablespoons of butter on top of potatoes.

GRAVY:

Thicken 2 tablespoons meat drippings or Minors Au Jus with 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Slowly stir in 1 cup water and 1 cup milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Answer 3

MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY

Wash and peel 6 potatoes. Cut them in half and place in a 2 quart pot 1/2 filled with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Boil the potatoes about 20-25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes. Use a fork and carefully pierce the potato for softness. They should be soft and not too mushy. When done, drain the water. Add the butter, milk and a shake of pepper. Mash with potato masher until they are fluffy. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Pile lightly and high into a serving dish. Place 2 tablespoons of butter on top of potatoes.

GRAVY:

Thicken 2 tablespoons meat drippings or Minors Au Jus with 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Slowly stir in 1 cup water and 1 cup milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Answer 4

Creamy White Mashed Potatoes

Kosher salt
3 pounds bakign potatoes (russet, yukon gold, etc)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, boil 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Cut the potatoes into 1½”cubes and add them to the boiling water. Bring the water to a boil again, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

Drain potatoes and mash w/ hand masher or food mill. Stir in the hot milk-and-butter mixture with a whisk or rubber spatula. Add cream cheese and mash. Add 2 tsp salt and the pepper, to taste, and serve hot.

Answer 5

My mashed potatoes are made from small red potatoes. Peels on ( lots of vitamins there). Use Evaporated milk and Real Butter to mash them.
My gravy is the made form the drippings of what ever meat I am cooking. If oven fried or pan fried chicken, then milk is the base.
If beef then drippings from the beef, if more volume is needed use beef broth. For turkey I use drippings, chicken broth and cornstarch.
I use a flour roux with chicken and cornstarch with beef.

Answer 6

The best southern mashed potatoes:

Yukon gold or idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
butter
milk or half and half, heated in microwave until hot, not boiling
salt
pepper
sour cream or mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise)


Put cubed potatoes in cold water with salt and bring to a boil. Boil until tender, then drain. Add butter to taste. Then add milk slowly. The amount will depend on how many potatoes you have, so start with 1/4 cup and increase as needed for your desired consistency. Beat until creamy and then add salt, if needed, pepper and sour cream or mayo. Mayo makes a very creamy and tasty mashed potato. You can't taste the mayo once it's blended. Or if you prefer, sour cream works well, too.

As for gravy, this depends on what meat you have cooked and whether you are making it from grease or drippings that have broth in them. If you have grease from a sauteed or fried meat, you will need at least 2 tablespoons of grease. Bring up to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix and cook until flour is slightly brown. Then add your liquid, which can be milk, broth or wine depending on what type of gravy you are making. Season to taste. If you have primarily drippings that have juice or broth in them, use cornstarch to thicken and add additional liquid if needed. Good luck.

Answer 7

MICROWAVE MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY
SERVINGS: 6

2 pounds potatoes
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

Peel potatoes and cut in thick slices. Put in microwave dish, cover with
cold water, sprinkle with salt and toss to mix. Cover and microwave on
high 10 min. Stir and microwave on high 15 min. more or until tender.
Drain. Put in a bowl. Heat milk in glass measure in microwave on high 1
min. Beat potatoes with mixer 1 min. or until most of the lumps are gone.
Add sour cream,with mixer pour in hot milk in a slow steady stream. Add
pepper, salt, nutmeg. Beat just until blended.


Ingredients for Brown Gravy
2-½ tablespoons solid vegetable fat
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 small tomato
2 cups vegetable broth or water
Salt to taste
Instructions
Put the fat into a frying pan, and when hot, add the flour, and stir constantly until a nice brown.
Add the chopped onion, and continue to stir for a few minutes; then the tomato and stir for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly evaporated, as this will give it a good flavor.
Add one third of the liquid, and stir until smooth and free from lumps.
Add the rest of the liquid, and let boil slowly for 10 minutes; then strain and serve.
Brown Cream Gravy
Cook down 1/2 cup sour cream, stirring constantly, until the oil and the albumen separate and the albumen turns a light brown color.
Then add enough brown flour to take up the oil thus made.
Add potato water or vegetable broth, and finish the same as the preceding .
Country Gravy
Use the same proportions of flour and fat as in either of the two preceding ; omit the onion, and use milk in the place of vegetable broth or water.

Answer 8

I half then boil red potatoes until they are fork tender

Then in a bowl, with butter, parmasean cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper i mash it with a masher.

For gravy i usually opt to cook the meat with Cambells Golden Mushroom..it makes the best gravy EVER

Answer 9

I add sour cream to my mashed potatoes. Plus half a stick of butter. And a pinch of sea salt. Hope this helps.

Answer 10

Okay, what I do is i boil the potatoes until they are soft(poke 'em with a toothpick), then add 4oz. butter, 1/2cup milk(more if you want them very creamy) and whip 'em with a beater(like what you use to mix cake batter or cupcake mix). Then for gravy I use the juices of the cooked meat, put it in a pot on low heat, add gravy THICKENER(cornstarch, flour). That's it. They are soo good, me mum makes 'em