Hi, My Name is Liz, and I Have A Problem..

I'm addicted... like actually addicted... to mashed potatoes..  addicted in the sense that I am likely to cause the next Irish potato famine, all the way from France...

To tell you the story of my love affair with mashed potatoes, I'll have to start at the beginning...

At the start, Mashed Potatoes and I had a love/hate relationship; as in they LOVED to be at every one of my family gatherings as the main starch, and I quickly dismissed them for my previous starchy lover (rice). Then, it all changed. I met Karim, who I still love more than mashed potatoes in case any of you are wondering. This boy didn't grocery shop, well he did because he's alive, but he MAN grocery shopped... This made him have toast, eggs, and mashed potatoes for dinner. I learned how to make them, as they are his favourite starchy side dish, and used the 'mashing' part to take out my anger, since I had to develop a civil relationship with these mushy freaks... Making mashed potatoes quite often led me to eventually taste them, to give them another shot, maybe they'd taste better with Ketchup? (That was a bad idea, do NOT try it...) I found out, that with the right seasoning and flavour, the mashed potatoes made me all warm and fuzzy inside. Mashed potatoes have been everything I could ever want out of a food: Yummy, filling, easy, quick, and CHEAP. Mashed Potatoes have many a times saved me from eating yoghurt after fishing out the fuzzy lake of yoghurt mould in the middle... *cough cough Ingrid cough cough* So next time your fridge, and/or your wallet, is at it's barest, try these.

I've included my favourite recipe below, and if you try it, you'll be trying the thing I've made most often in my little tiny Parisian kitchen. Most likely, our steamy love affair will be scandalous and short lived (since I am living in the land of baguettes), but I have no doubt that now, as I continue on in life, I'll take a spoonful (or four) as the bowl of mashed potatoes passes me at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Stay Lovely,
Liz

Mashed Pomme De Terre a la Francais

Ingredients:
(for 3 normal person servings, or 1 Liz sized serving...)

4-5 White Gold Potatoes
2 tbsp Milk
2 tsp Butter/Margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp Garlic (minced finely)
2 tbsp Fresh Parmesan cheese

1) Bring a pot of water to boil, adding a pinch of salt to the water.
2) Wash and peel* potatoes
3) Cut into loonie sized pieces.
4) Boil in water for approx. 8-10 minutes (until they fall apart when you press them against the side of the pot)
5) Drain and place in large mixing bowl.
6) Add Milk, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Margarine, and Cheese.
7) MASH MASH MASH
8) Ohm nom nom
9) Send some to Liz...

*Peeling the Potatoes is completely optional, depending on how creamy you want the potatoes. If you like a little texture (like me) leave the skin on, just give it a good wash!