Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I made mashed sweet potatoes to go with the cheddar and breadcrumb crusted chicken that I posted yesterday.  I am trying to eat more sweet potatoes since they are much more nutritious than other potato varieties.  Charles is not a fan of really sweet things, so I didn't add much brown sugar to these potatoes.

Total time: 30 minutes

You will need:
3 Sweet Potatoes
1 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Step 1:
Peel the potatoes and then chop into large cubes.  Add to boiling water.

Step 2:
Cook the potatoes until soft, about 20 minutes.  Then drain.

Step 3:
Add the potatoes to a bowl and then add the butter, brown sugar, and salt.  Mash with a fork and then serve.

Mashed Potatoes with Creme Fraiche and Colby

I had leftover potatoes and cheese in my fridge, so I decided to make mashed potatoes to go with the stuffed chicken breasts.

You will need:
4 Red Bliss Potatoes
1/4 cup Colby Cheese
2 tablespoons Creme Fraiche
2 tablespoons Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Step 1:
Rise and chop the potato.  Place in a pot of water and heat over high heat until boiling.

Step 2:
Boil until the potato until soft (approximately 15 minutes).  Then drain.

Step 3:
Return the potatoes to the pot and add in the colby, creme fraiche, broth, salt and pepper.  Mix together with a fork.  Mash the potatoes with the fork until the potatoes reach the desire consistency, and serve.

Red Bliss Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side for steak.  My holiday mashed potato recipe is a huge hit, but it isn't very healthy, so when it isn't a special occassion I use another recipe.  These potatoes are very easy to make and are still good enough to eat without gravy.

You will need:
5 medium Red Bliss Potatoes, chopped
1/4 cup Cheese - I used a reduced fat blend of chedder, monteray jack and mozzarella
2 tablespoons Slim Milk
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup Fat Free Sour Cream
1 tablespoon butter

Step 1:
Rise and chop the potatoes.  Then place in a pot of water and bring to a boil.  Bowl for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

Step 2:
Drain the potatoes.  Then add the butter and cheese.  I always add the ingredients that need to melt first - before I add any other cold ingredients.  Stir a little to get the cheese and butter to melt.  Then add the salt, pepper, milk and sour cream.  Mix with either a fork (if you like them a little chunky), or an electric mixer (if you prefer them smooth).

Sweet Potato Casserole

One last Thanksgiving recipe.  I promise that between now and Christmas I will be posting lots of healthy recipes.  These sweet potatoes are my brother's favorite Thanksgiving dish.  They are so delicious that they do not even need marshmallows on top.

You will need:
6 pounds sweet potatoes ( 4 large cans)
4 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup pecan halves
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup melted butter


Step 1:Drain & mash the sweet potatoes.


Step 2:
Using a mixer, beat the following into the sweet potatoes: 4 eggs, ½ cup of brown sugar and ½ cup melted butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Put in a casserole. 


Step 3:
Arrange pecans on top of the casserole, sprinkle with the ½ cup brown sugar and drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter. Place in buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 until hot.

Uncle Gordon's Pearl Onions

Uncle Gordon is my godfather.  Gordon and my Dad met over 30 years ago when my Dad picked Gordon up when he was hitchhiking.  Gordon is married to Susan who went to high school with my Mom.  When you live in a tiny town in Maine everyone is connected to everyone else in 15 different ways.  Gordon and Susan and their kids have always spend Thanksgiving with my family.  This year Gordon was unable to attend Thanksgiving dinner because he was sailing a yacht to the Caribbean.  It seemed like a pretty solid reason to miss Thanksgiving in Maine.  I did have one concern, if Uncle Gordon was going to miss Thanksgiving... would his pearl onions make it to Thanksgiving?


Susan stepped up to the plate and made the onions this year.  And they were delicious!  Thanks Susan!

You will need:
4 10 oz. pkgs. of gold, red or white pearl onions (sometimes we mix them)
6 tbsp. of butter
6 tbsp. of flour
3 cups of milk, heated almost to the boiling point
4 tbsp. of cream sherry (can add more to desired taste)
few drops of tabasco sauce
few dashes of ground nutmeg (to taste)
white pepper and salt to taste

Step 1:
To peel onions drop in a large pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse in cold water. Cut root end off and squeeze gently toward the root end until onion slips out. This is not as difficult as it sounds and can be done the day before.


Step 2:
To cook onions, drop peeled onions into boiling water.  Cook for 10 minutes once the water returns to a second boil (very important). Drain.

Step 3:
To make cream sauce, melt butter over med-high heat. When melted, add flour, stirring constantly with wire whisk, until all butter is absorbed. Turn heat down to low and add milk slowly, continue to stir with whisk. Add sherry, tabasco, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Fold in cooked onions and mix well.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

Graham Family Holiday Mashed Potatoes

I love Thanksgiving. I think it is the best holiday ever. What could make Thanksgiving better? How about celebrating it twice! When I moved to the Windy City I learned that my friends hold an annual Friendsgiving the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Everyone brings something, usually their favorite Thanksgiving recipe. With around 30 attendees, there is lots of food to sample! Right away I knew that I wanted to be in charge of Mashed Potatoes. My friend Dre, the host of Friendsgiving, responded by telling me that potatoes are important, so they better be good. I assured her that they are.

The recipe changed a little in the past year – when I discovered that adding cheddar cheese makes the potatoes even better.

You will need:
5 pounds of Peeled Yukon Gold Potatoes or Red Potatoes
4 tablespoons Butter
5 ounces of Sour Cream (you may use low fat)
5 ounces Cream Cheese (you may you low fat)
4 ounces Cheddar Cheese
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Step 1
Peel the potatoes. Chop into large cubes so they will cook more quickly. Boil until tender.

Step 2
Drain potatoes and return to pot. Add butter, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mix and mash either with a hand held mixer or a hand masher. If you use a mixer the potatoes will be smooth and creamy, if you mash by hand the potatoes will be chunkier.

Step 3
Four variations on this recipe:
1. Eat right away.
2. Put into a casserole and bake in the oven at 350-400 degrees. The temperature can vary depending on the temperature needed for whatever else is in the oven. Bake until crispy on the bottom on edges. Potatoes can be made a day or two ahead of time and reheated.
3. If your oven is really packed – put the potatoes in a disposable aluminum pan and put it on a heated grill (medium heat). I have been the Friendsgiving grill master – in charge of reheating all potato dishes on the grill.
4. Use leftovers to make potato pancakes. Use about 4 tablespoons of potato and form small patties. The small size prevents them from falling apart. Cook on a buttered griddle or a pan over medium high heat. Potato pancakes are difficult to burn, and they take a while to brown. Be patient and them brown, flipping too much will cause them to fall apart.