Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

I admit that a bowl of mashed potatoes is not usually worthy of writing home (or blog!) about,  even for a fledgling cook like myself.   They don’t really scream “oh-hey-look-at-me-being-such-an-ambitious-and-fancy-cook!” and they’re ubiquitous, found anywhere from grade school cafeterias and frozen dinners to thanksgiving smorgasbords and  fancy steakhouses.

But you know what you don’t encounter every day?  Wasabi potatoes!  Wasabi is the potent Japanese equivalent to horseradish and can clear your sinuses if you’re not careful.   Add a little bit of wasabi to mashed potatoes, I  learned,  and you have a flavorful but not overpowering bite of starchy goodness.

This recipe uses wasabi paste, which is usually packaged in a small tube and found in the Asian section of grocery stores.  Use as much or as little as you can handle.  You’re going for potatoes with a pleasant kick, not potatoes that will make you cry in pain.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Four large Idaho potatoes
1/4 to 1/3 cup cream
1 to 2 tbsp wasabi paste (found in Asian section of most grocery stores)

Directions:

• Place cubed potatoes in a large pot and cover potatoes with water.
• Bring to a boil, add salt the potatoes, and let boil for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Drain potatoes and add them back to the hot pot.
• Using a potato smasher (a favorite tool of mine!), mash the potatoes with cream and as much wasabi as you would like. Add salt to taste.

Source:  Rachael Ray