Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese
Not sure if it’s my Irish ancestry, or just the simple deliciousness of the vegetable itself, but the potato is one of Gods great creations. You can boil them, roast them, gratin them, fry them, or…mash them. And there are thousands of variations on each technique. In this recipe video, I take the simple mashed potato, and take them a step further with the addition of some blue cheese. The blue cheese in the mashed potatoes add a tangy kick, and make a perfect side for red meats like steak and lamb. Best of all, you can get this added great flavor with about 60 seconds of extra work. Hope you enjoy them!!
Recipe Overview & Keys to Success
If you have a good mashed potato recipe, this version is really as simple as adding some blue cheese at the end. To make sure the dish is great, be aware of these few things:
- You can peel and cut the potatoes ahead of time; just keep them submerged in water until you’re ready to cook them, or they will turn brown – it’s the air that causes that
- Start to boil the potatoes in room temperature water, otherwise you can get over cooked outsides and raw centers
- Play close attention to the seasoning. In general, I think potatoes can take a good amount of salt and pepper, and many people under season them. The only additional complication here, is that blue cheese is pretty salty too…so you need to factor that in. Taste as you go.
- You’ve got some leeway on getting the potatoes to the right doneness. I take them off the heat right when they are tender enough to easily put a knife through. If you have to push hard, they aren’t done enough, but if you go more than a couple minutes past that, you end up with water logged potatoes…no good
- Finally, Masher or Ricer ? I have used both and was a "masher" for years. You can get a great result with either, but I've moved to a ricer, as I find the potatoes a bit lighter and fluffier.
Ingredients for Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese (for 2)
- 1 large russet potato
- 5 – 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream (or milk if preferred)
- 5 – 6 tablespoons of blue cheese (Maytag, gorgonzola, Danish, or other)
- Salt & pepper
Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese
- Peel and wash the potato
- Cut into pieces about 1.5 inches wide (keep submerged in water until ready to cook
- Boil the potatoes (starting in room temp water) until they are tender
- Drain them well and let them sit for 1 – 2 minutes to dry
- While they dry, add half the cream to the now empty pot
- If you’re using the ricer, rice the potatoes into the cream; add the butter and remaining cream a bit at a time, season with pepper and bit of salt, and stir to combine
- If you’re using a masher, I like to add the butter, then start mashing. Add the cream as you mash, and continue until all the cream is used and/or you get to the right consistency
- If needed you add more butter or cream at any time, and just stir it in
- Now crumble, or cut, the blue cheese into small pieces, add them to the mashed potato, and stir to combine. The cheese will melt in about 5 minutes
- Give the potatoes another taste, and adjust the salt, pepper, or blue cheese as needed
- Plate up in a blow, and when I serve family style I like to dot the top of the potatoes with a few more pieces of blue cheese
As I said above, I love this version of mashed potatoes with a nicely cooked (that means rare for me) steak. It’s easy to do, and really tasty. Hope you enjoy it and leave me a comment to let me know how it goes.
Enjoy!
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