Buttermilk mashed potatoes are a delicious alternative to traditional mashed potatoes. The tang of the buttermilk is very good, and the added garlic makes this version of mashed potatoes full of flavor, but not fat. You can lower the fat in this recipe even more by omitting the butter, and just adding more buttermilk. Buttermilk is lower in fat than whole milk, and because of the acids it contains, it is a bit lower in lactose. Therefore, it can be tolerated better by some lactose intolerant people, like myself. I love to make this recipe when I am not going to be preparing a pan gravy. These potatoes are so good, you will not even miss the gravy. You can mash them so that they are still a little chunky, like I have done in the picture, or use a food mill or ricer to get a smoother texture.

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 lbs potatoes, red skins, yukon golds, or russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, and cut in similarly sized pieces
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Bring a saucepan of water and the kosher salt to a boil. Peel potatoes, if desired. Cut potatoes in similarly sized chunks, and add to boiling water. Make sure the chunks are pretty large. If using small potatoes, just boil whole. Add garlic cloves. Boil the potatoes over medium heat, until they are very tender.
2. Drain potatoes, and add back to the saucepan. Place the potatoes back on the warm burner, and allow the extra water to evaporate. Mash them up with a potato masher, process in a food mill, or use a ricer. When potatoes are mashed, add butter, and stir to combine. Add buttermilk, until you get the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember not to over mix, or the potatoes can get a glue like consistency.

Tags: buttermilk, potatoes

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Side Dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.