Mothering Many

Around here, we love some mashed potatoes. We typically serve them with gravy, but the truly remarkable thing about my mashed potatoes is that they are also wonderful without gravy. I learned to make them from my mother, who makes the best ones ever, but mine are pretty darn good, too. Here’s how you do it for 10, you’ll have to adjust the recipe for your crew.

Peel (or scrub and don’t peel) and dice 5 pounds of potatoes, and boil them until they are fork tender. Drain them and put them in a bowl. Add an entire stick of butter. An entire stick. No skimping! Beat until creamed, adding just enough milk to get the consistency you like. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also use margarine like my mom does, but I think butter’s better so thats what I use. But I never pass her potatoes up, either.

Now, I like my potatoes lump free, and that takes some mixing. In fact, I burn up one of those $10 mixers in about a year, and we only have the potatoes about once a month, because I am always afraid I am going to burn up my mixer. My grandmother, however, had an ancient Kitchen Aid stand mixer, and I have long considered getting a stand mixer for myself, because hers has lasted so long. Decades, people. Really. So when I saw these new Eclectrics® Mixer, I wanted to take a closer look, because I like the longevity of the stand mixers. And also, the fact that I can get the Hamilton Beach® Mixer in blue to match my kitchen is a big plus. I like matching.
And since I have no cabinet space left and the mixer would be on the counter all the time, it’s even more important, see?

The other biggies: it says on the site that the Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer can make 4 pounds of bread or 9 dozen cookies at once. FINALLY, someone understands the quantity of food I need to be able to produce at one time. And it has a 3 year warranty, so apparently they also understand that I get tired of replacing appliances that wear out and burn out under what is normal household use for me.

And here’s the badge I am required to place here, so you can see that I was offered compensation to tell you this recipe and also about how I burn up mixers. It’s still a good recipe and the mixer thing is still true.