Thanksgiving

I was very disappointed when I learned that I would not have the priveledge of cooking for Thanksgiving this year. Generally my family comes together for the day, and everyone is assigned a certain dish to cook. This year, however, my family went to spend the evening at a friend's house where the cooking was done for us.

I will not say anything against the meal. Every last dish was flavorful and heart-warming. The turkey was moist, juicy, and had a salty, smoky, flavor. There were vegetarian, and non-vegetarian stuffings. While I tried both, the non-vegetarian was clearly my favorite. No surprise there! It was a great blend of flavors and textures. It was crunchy and chewy, salty and spicy and sweet. All the things you could ask for from a great stuffing. The mashed potatoes were fluffy, creamy and chunky, and the roasted vegetables were all soft, yet firm enough to stand up to a fork. Like I said, it was one of the better Thanksgiving meals that I have ever had.

I was still very upset that I didn't get to cook anything myself. In honor of one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal, I would like to share my recipe for mashed potatoes. I have been working to perfect this recipe for a while now, and I think it has gotten pretty good. It's a great part of the Thanksgiving tradition, even when the tradition is broken. Hopefully it will be a part of my Thanksgiving dinner next year.

Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Holidays.

Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes - make sure they are unpeeled! This keeps the potatoes from absorbing too much water.
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup - about a half of a stick - butter
salt and pepper to taste

1) Put potatoes in a large pot or dutch oven. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are very tender. This should take about 20-25 minutes.
2) Drain the potatoes.
3) Let potatoes cool for 5-10 minutes.
4) Peel off the skins of the potatoes. This should be easy after cooking.
5) Over medium heat let the potatoes dry for about 2 minutes. Stir every so often.
6) Heat the half and half in a small saucepan briefly. Make sure it is warm, but not too hot.
7) Stir butter into the potatoes directly in the pot.
8) Add the half and half while it is still warm and stir until everything is absorbed.
9) Add salt and pepper to taste.