Our trip to Japan was largely about Japanese food. Tofu meals, Zen meals and meals in the temple. We all developed a love and respect for Tofu and all its variations. This one restaurant that we went to and which was purely fusion was Rigoletto, in the Roppongi area of Tokyo. They had very few choices for vegetarians, but all of them were sumptuous.
I made the garlic mashed potatoes for my husband’s birthday. It was a smashing hit.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Yeah yeah, it has a lot of calories and all that. But hey! it is really tasty. And you gotta cheat once in a while right? How else will you enjoy life?
The potatoes have to be boiled and later mashed along with all the other ingredients. The entire mixture can be a heavy load for most blenders. Even mine protested mightily but held its own. By no means am I proclaiming Technora blenders to be the best, but where I am concerned it has stood the test of time and use. I love their inbuilt stirrer. I don’t have to open the lid and stir the food, I can do it while the blending is on. Pure genius.
This is a copycat recipe, so my imagination can take no credit for it. But I added a twist to its story, by cooking it in an earthen bowl. It wasn’t coated inside with any kind of ceramic polish. Just pure earthenware. So when the garlic mashed potatoes cooked, the flavour and fragrance of the natural clay seeped into the potato, giving it that extra kick and twist.
Wash the earthenware once and dry it in the sun if you can. Fill the mashed goodness, add dollops of butter, garnish and bake. It’s a quick and easy recipe, and I shall become famous – because everyone is going to ask you for this recipe.
😉
Have fun guys – I promise you a piece of heaven!
Ciao!
- 25 Grams garlic
- 1/2 Tspn olive oil
- 1/8 Tspn salt (basically a pinch!)
- 1 Tbspn Finely chopped parsley
- 1 Tbspn Red Chilli Flakes
- 30 Grams Butter Softened.
- Potato Ricer
- Heavy Duty Blender
- oven 150 Deg C
- 15 Earthen pots for serving (optionally baking dishes can be used)
- Spatula
- Boil the potatoes.
- Once the potatoes are boiled, peel and run it through the ricer.
- Add all the ingredients for the potatoes and load it into the blender.
- Blend well. You might have to do it in parts. It should have no lumps.
- While the potato is boiling, peel the garlic meant for the garnish. Slice the garlic into thin slivers.
- Rub the olive oil and salt on it and pop into the oven. Bake for appx 10 minutes, till it is dehydrated and a wee bit brown. You don't want to make it crisp and completely baked
- Ladle the mixture in the earthen ware / baking dish, garnish with parsley, chilli flakes and the par baked garlic.
- Add dollops of butter (the one kept aside for the garnish) on all sides and slide into the oven.
- Bake for 10 minutes. First the butter will melt and then cook and infuse into the potato. When the butter sizzles, and the garlic on top looks browned, take out and serve hot.