Mashed potatoes (or “brkaše”) are among the popular side dishes. How can you improve it?
According to one legend, the first mashed potatoes were cooked already in the 18th century. Its “inventor” was a certain army pharmacist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, who was captured in the war and lived only on potatoes. At that time, potatoes were not as popular a raw material as they are today. They were said to be dangerous and cause leprosy, so they were only used as food for cattle.
The author of the video, The Hungry German, shows you how to make potato pâté with garlic and parmesan cheese. More on the YouTube.com channel.
Virtue out of necessity
However, the pharmacist was not disturbed by such rumours. He soon found out that the tubers are not dangerous at all and what’s more, they are very tasty as food! And he himself decided to modify the potatoes in different ways. The result of his experiments was the popular mashed potatoes, which became a popular dish in households and restaurants over the centuries. Only her “invention” was long forgotten.
Flavored version
Making mashed potatoes is not a science. The important thing is that you have the right type of potato – ideally C type, which is starchy and creates the right texture.
“If you want to prepare the porridge in a slightly unconventional way, you can add different ingredients to it, which will give it a different color or taste,” advises the expert, who recommends adding garlic, fried onion, nutmeg or even mustard to the potato pate! Mashed potatoes are excellent, for example, with horseradish, white turnip, Japanese wasabi or with root vegetables (for example, carrots or celery).
Too much fat is harmful
The popular German potato puree (Kartoffelbrei), which the locals prepare as smooth as silk, but with a huge portion of butter, is also worth a try. For Czech stomachs, however, such a portion of greasiness is not the right nut, so we serve it here in a “lightened” version. But still believe that after a few teaspoons of potato dream you will be full immediately. So how to do it?
Potatoes in the skin
In Germany, porridge is made from potatoes, which are first boiled “on the peel”. Thanks to this, the tubers are more mealy and do not absorb as much water as when you scrape them traditionally. Once you’ve cooked your batch of potatoes, drain and peel them. Then push one tuber at a time through a potato press. do you have Then just cut the butter into pieces and mix it into the potato mixture.
Zárak: nutmeg
Finally, soften the puree with milk and, to give it the right taste, don’t forget the nutmeg! You can also strain the finished porridge through a sieve. It will get an even finer texture and will literally melt on the tongue.
Mashed potatoes from our German neighbors are therefore similar to classic mashed potatoes, only with minor differences. Serve it with meat, grilled vegetables or fish. He won’t be wrong!
Sources: www.chefkoch.de, www.familienkost.de
