Tags
Garlic, horseradish, olive oil, Onions, Potatoes, sour cream
These Holiday Mashed Potatoes are the bomb! They are the perfect foil for a beautiful prime rib or any roast, for that matter. You can follow the recipe for Mashed Potato Perfection, and just make a couple of minor adjustments and additions. Would The Goddess steer you wrong in the holiday season? I think not! 
We also use Vidalia onions for this; both the young spring and whole regular Vidalias. Don’t you think some added green would be nice, so we use the green tops, too. 
Don’t be put off by the charred onions. They are that lovely fine line between a slight char and graveyard incinerated! But, they work, and they work well! Other than the wonderfully complex flavors, the best thing is that you can make them ahead and they reheat beautifully! See…The Goddess is trying to make your life easier…it’s what she does. It’s all about you, you know.
So here is the recipe—
Holiday Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish & Charred Onions
- 2 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced or diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence (optional)
- 6 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (about 6-8 cups)
- 8 cloves garlic (use more or less for your taste buds delight!)
- Kosher salt (you’ll use more than you think)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste (coarse is good!)
- 3/4 cup warm sour cream
- Reserved potato water
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, or to taste
- Aleppo flakes or smoked sweet paprika for garnish
- Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add the oil and onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes; reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, and become caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. They should have some slightly charred bits in the mix.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes and the garlic cloves in large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, about 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, reserving at least 1 cup of the water and keeping the garlic cloves with the cooked potatoes.
In the pot, toss the herbes, if using, on top of the cooked potatoes. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the warmed sour cream and continue to mash until relatively smooth. If the mixture seems too stiff, add the reserved potato water, as needed to obtain the proper consistency. Add the horseradish, salt and black pepper, and caramelized onions; stir until combined and the onions are evenly distributed. Pile the mixture into a serving dish and dust the top with the Aleppo pepper flakes or smoked paprika and drizzle with good, flavorful olive oil.
NOTE: If you are going to reheat the potatoes, place them in an oven-proof dish and do not garnish. Refrigerate until about 1 hour before serving. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the casserole, still covered with foil, in the oven for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are hot. Remove the foil and garnish with the Aleppo pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. If your oven is on, but it’s at a lower temperature, simply reheat the potatoes longer. You may dust the potatoes with finely grated Parmesan cheese, but that may be over-kill!
Holiday Mashed Potatoes with Horseradish & Charred Onions Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2015. All rights reserved.
I used some fresh green Vidalia onions, because I knew the green part would char up nicely. You can use leeks to replace the onion entirely, or as part of the onion amount.
I usually use a mixture of Russets and Yukon Gold potatoes, as I did here. I like the blend. I add the garlic right in and let them cook together. It works perfectly. You can see the salt (and the steam coming off those lovely bits of starchy goodness)…it may look like a lot, but potatoes are starch and they need salt. By the way, red skinned potatoes are too moist and pasty; the final dish may be a bit gluey. Not good….
Warming the sour cream (the microwave for 30 seconds will do the trick) helps prevent the potatoes from getting “sticky” or “gluey”, which can happen even with Russets. If the mixture still seems too stiff, now is when you’ll add that reserved potato water, bit by bit.
The last thing that gets added, are the charred onions; just fold them in. Now, taste for the level of horseradish and add more, if you wish. Make certain there’s enough salt. If you are going to reheat the potatoes, don’t worry if they seem a tad salty. By the time you reheat, the flavors will have blended and mellowed.
This is a wonderful combination. If you want to drizzle with butter instead of olive oil, do so. Or leave it off entirely. These are rich, but not so rich that you won’t feel like having some gravy or a second helping. P-l-eeee-a-s-e…it’s the holidays! Give yourself a break and indulge. You have 364 days, well 365 days this coming year…yes, it’s a Leap Year, to do penance. Life is short. It’s way too short not to indulge now and then. Besides, you can always blame The Goddess…she’s okay with that.
There is one last thing that must be mentioned…truffle oil! The Goddess wants you to know this is a wonderful addition. Yes, that’s right, The Goddess felt it necessary to try this drizzled over a small, but delicious mound of goodness. It was as she thought it would be…superb! She may wish to forego the rest of the meal entirely! Except, of course, for dessert….
Goddess Cooks 