Recipe By: Chef Elly Vos

Ready in 40 minutes, Serves 6-8

Ah, the potato! The amazing, delicious, hearty, versatile, affordable…

 

Okay, we’ll stop, we just really like potatoes! There’s the russet potato, Yukon gold potato, sweet potato, red potato – you get it. The variety of potatoes is what makes them such a consistent staple in so many meals! In fact, they even make whole meals – just like this recipe can.

 

There is the age-old debate of, “What are the top 3 forms of potato?”. Well, of all the people we asked, almost all of them included mashed potatoes as one of their top contenders. Mashed potatoes are a must-have at almost every holiday meal and they make a great go-to for meal prep.

 

The Co-Op at 1st cares about offering quality meals for the pre-made meals in their My Food Box subscription which is why they have Chef Elly leading their kitchen. She is versed in multiple culinary styles and prides herself on creating sustainable, affordable meals for the Denver community. A lot of her influence comes from her family just like this delicious Buttery Smashed Potatoes recipe. 

 

Chef Elly says, “My great-grandma showed me how to make mashed potatoes as a small child. She peeled hers back then, but as a lazy cook, I modified her recipe to include the skins. These potatoes are served great on their own or alongside grilled asparagus and a medium-rare steak.”

 

So really we know two things: 1) The potato is a superior ingredient and we love it in all its forms and varieties and 2) Never question great grandma’s recipes, especially Chef Elly’s. Thankfully for the rest of us, she has decided to share her family secrets with the world. 

 

These smashed potatoes are simple to make, very filling, and are amazing leftovers! You might even add them to your breakfast burrito for a fresh twist on hash browns – we won’t judge you either way. Actually, we support you.

 

It’s important to remember to wash your potatoes before cooking them or eating them. Just like any other produce you buy, potatoes can accumulate dirt, small pests, or other organic matter during harvest and transportation. Scrub them, don’t just rinse them. Potato skins absorb a lot – luckily for us that includes flavor!

 

This leads us to another reminder that skins add flavor and not peeling the potatoes saves time. To make this recipe easier and more delicious, just cut the potatoes into equal size pieces before cutting them and the rest is easy as (potato) pie.

 

We have traditionally made this recipe with russet potatoes but if you have a strong preference towards another type of potato, then we say go for it! We support and love all potatoes and think it’s nice when every-spuddy gets included. In fact, we’d love to know what you think with or without substitutions – we are always eager to hear feedback from our Colorado community.

 

If you are short on some of the ingredients for this recipe (there are only a few), head over to our indoor, year-round farmers market at 1st and Sheridan to stock up on all your grocery needs. Or if you are short on time and need a more convenient option, you can sign up for our food box subscription here.

 

Check out this delicious, buttery, can’t-resist recipe below!

Ingredients

• 4 medium russet potatoes (scrubbed)
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• ¼  teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
• ¼  teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

Preparation

1. Cut potatoes into ½ inch circles then into 8 pie-shaped pieces. Cut all the potatoes into a similar size.
2. Place potatoes into a deep pan and add cold water just covering them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat until the potatoes are fork-tender. 20-30min ish. Strain the potatoes into a colander/ strainer.
3. Put the strained potatoes back into the pan (off heat) and add salt, ½ the butter, and milk.
4. Use a hand masher or electric mixer to mash the potatoes leaving a few small potato chunks.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the remaining butter and add pepper.
6. Taste your smashed potatoes and see if it needs more salt, pepper or butter. Add as needed.

 

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