How do you make your mashed potatoes?
Like chicken noodle soup and meatloaf, mashed potatoes are one of those dishes that every family makes differently. Whether you use Russets or Yukon Gold, broth or heavy cream, odds are that you have your own recipe that you stick with year after year. Growing up, my family always used Russet potatoes and mashed them with sour cream. I would drown mine in gravy, to the point where they were really more gravy than potato. Oh yes, I was a big fan of gravy.
I rarely make mashed potatoes now, but when I do, I usually use milk and a small amount of butter to keep calories (fairly) in check. By starting with Yukon Gold potatoes, which take on a creamy, buttery consistency when mashed, the extra cream and butter aren't missed. Since we generally don't make gravy (you know, the whole vegetarian thing), I like to add herbs, garlic, and other flavorings to the potatoes before serving. One of my favorite additions to mashed potatoes is truffle oil.
The beauty of this Truffled Mashed Potato Gratin is that you can use your preferred mashed potato recipe to start with. If you think the fact that I use milk and not cream in my potatoes sacrilege, by all means sub out the milk and use cream. As long as you start with 1 ½ pounds of potatoes and don't add anything with assertive flavors (like garlic), the gratin will turn out fine. Once you've made the mashed potatoes, you can add everything else, starting with the truffle oil. The best thing about this recipe is that while it looks (and tastes!) really fancypants, it hardly takes anymore work than plain mashed potatoes--just 20 extra minutes in the oven and it's done.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces (peeled or unpeeled--your choice)
- ¼ c. whole milk
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. white truffle oil
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ c. panko
- ¼ c. Parmesan cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place potatoes and a dash of salt in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or under tender. Cool slightly.
- Transfer potatoes to large bowl and mash. Stir in milk, butter, truffle oil, salt, and pepper.
- Put mashed potatoes in a gratin dish or individual ramekins. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, panko, and cheese; stir until well-coated.
- Top mashed potatoes with panko mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until panko mixture is golden brown.
Stephanie @ henry happened says
I love the individual ramekin size - cuz I love me some mashed potatoes and tend to eat WAY too much! My kids are especially fond of mashed potatoes from the box. Great parent, huh? 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
I like putting everything in ramekins. It makes me feel all fancy. And yes, it's good for portion control too. 🙂 I've actually never had mashed potatoes from a box, but I used to always buy instant mashed potatoes in those little microwavable cartons for lunch. They had powdered cheese & bits of broccoli in them and they were SO GOOD. I don't think they make those anymore...
Pam says
This is perfect. The pediatrician asked me if my 8 year old son was cooking. He replied I can make toast and popcorn. So we went shopping and bought to simple kid cook books and the food is not all that pretty.
This recipe will be perfect!
Happy Monday,
Pam
The Type A Housewife says
I don't know if truffle oil is a very kid-friendly flavor, but you can always leave that out--adding cheese or herbs might be better! 🙂
Brenda Williams says
Such fancy potatoes! Never thought of adding truffle oil to enhance the flavor.
The Type A Housewife says
I add truffle oil to everything I can think of! It goes really well with potatoes--we like them on roasted potatoes too.
BEadECLECTIC says
Yum! Is that truffle oil or truffle infused olive oil?
The Type A Housewife says
Actually, all truffle oil is made with either grapeseed oil or olive oil. The oils are either infused with actual truffles or synthetic flavoring is added to it.
BEadECLECTIC says
I think "regular" truffle oil is much stronger than the flavored Olive oil I get though, but I wouldn't swear on it. Not like there is such a think as too much truffle! (ok.. mayyyyyybe there is.)
The Type A Housewife says
It might just be a difference between brands. No matter what kind of truffle oil you're getting, the main ingredient is either olive oil or grapeseed oil--all truffle oil is truffle-infused oil, even if the label just says truffle oil. 🙂
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh says
Look at you fancy pants!
I've always wanted to use truffle oil but would want to get like a sample or something because I didn't like it I wouldn't want to be stuck with it! (I'm cheap!) If I don't like it, I'll just ship it to you! 😉
The Type A Housewife says
Do you have one of those oil & vinegar stores by you? Because that's where I first had truffle oil--they let you sample everything before buying it. I love buying my oils & vinegars from those stores because you can buy a wee bitty amount instead of a whole bottle. Sometimes a recipe will call for walnut oil or champagne vinegar and I know I'll never use an entire bottle of it, so I'll buy a few ounces of it from a specialty shop. Truffle oil is definitely STRONG and one of those things that you either love or hate. 🙂
Shirley says
These mashed potatoes look fancy! I've never tried truffle oil, but now I feel like going out and buying some. I make my mashed potatoes with yukon golds, a little butter, and low-fat milk. People assume lots of butter or cream went into them!
The Type A Housewife says
I don't think you need all that butter and cream either! Usually we don't even have regular milk on hand and I use soymilk and it works out just fine when you start with the Yukon Golds.
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
That truly looks delicious! Is truffle oil readily available in stores?
The Type A Housewife says
I've never had an issue finding it at regular supermarkets, but I've heard from a few other people that they haven't been able to find it. You could definitely do this recipe without the truffle oil or sub in garlic if you like garlic mashed potatoes.
Rachel R. says
I must look away...one of the aspects of my new diet is eating low GI foods to avoid sugar spikes, and potatos are high on the glycemic index. Too bad because they are such comfort foods...French fries, chips, mashed potatos. Maybe this is one that I can enjoy occasionally in moderation 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, I know, I'm trying to lose weight and people always give me the side-eye about my potato consumption--ha! But I can't help it, I love them. 🙂 Have you ever tried mashed cauliflower? It doesn't taste like potatoes, but if you whip it with a hand mixer, it does have the texture of it...
Rachel R. says
I bought some cauliflower this week intending to try it!
Virginia from That Bald Chick says
Must. Buy. Ramekins. That looks so yummy!
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, but you don't need them! You can make this in a regular casserole or gratin dish too. 🙂
Kenda says
That looks amazing! Is it bad that I'm now craving potatoes and cheese at 9:30 am? lol
The Type A Housewife says
I crave cheese and potatoes 24/7, so I'd say no, it's not bad. 🙂
Audrey says
These look so yummy!!! I'm totally wondering if I could use soy milk instead of whole milk. I seldom make mashed potatoes anymore. Usually I rip open an envelope and pop them into the microwave.
The Type A Housewife says
I use soy milk in my mashed potatoes all the time! It definitely works, although it does give the potatoes a slightly sweeter flavor.
April H says
That looks so yummy! And I love the individual ramekins - they add an elegant touch!
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! I love making things in ramekins for that very reason--ha!
Toni @ A Daily Dose says
Those look delicious! I eat potatoes all different ways. My favorite are the beefy onion potatoes
The Type A Housewife says
Potatoes and onions are always good together! 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
Yummy! I'm not a big fan of plain, mashed potatoes. Even with gravy. In fact, mashed is one of my least favorite ways to prepare potatoes (next to boiled) but this sounds so good. I think maybe the potatoes that the mashed potato makers use (not naming any names but I've never attempted it myself) might have something to do with it. Russets don't make a very good mash.
The Type A Housewife says
Yeah, Yukon Gold are definitely the best potatoes to mash, in my humble opinion. 🙂 I even like red potatoes mashed, although I've read they're not good for mashing. I feel like the Russets are too starchy.
Pam @Mommacan says
This looks so good and I am making it this week. I was working on my grocery list anyway so just went ahead and added it to the list. I am going to need tiny dishes. lol
Kiersten says
You can make it in a big gratin dish too! I hope you like it. 🙂