Last Autumn I made an amazing potato soup with pesto and chorizo. It was so flavorful and well, slurped down in seconds.
I don't think I made enough.
So while reminiscing about that lovely, butter-rific potato soup, I thought, how can I slightly lighten this dish up? I could eat this soup everyday, and my thighs will hang on to it for far too long. And the already brutal lunges would be even more unbearable! Anyone do those? They hurt so good.
So while brainstorming, I came up with something I've never seen, but I am sure the genius foodies who reads my blog (rolling their eyes perhaps?): Pesto Mashed Potatoes! I am a pesto fiend. I make a batch at least once a week. It's an amazing on sandwiches, burgers, salads, dressings, the uses are endless!
This dish is so quick to put together and even quicker if you're using store-bought pesto. It's gorgeous on a plate and you can tell kids it's radioactive mashed potatoes...ok, don't. If they're anything like mine anyway!
I made this incredibly flavored mashed potatoes with cowboy steaks, and it was a perfect pairing. Try this new (to me) take on mashed potatoes! Hope you enjoy!
Pesto Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 lbs russet or yukon gold potatoes (or whatever potatoes you use for mashing!)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temp *
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk, warmed (add more or less depending on what consistency you prefer!)
* you can add butter to milk when you warm it in the microwave or stove-top
For Pesto
You can use store-bought pesto or homemade!
Recipe:
2 cups of fresh parsley or basil loosely packed, chopped
1/4 or 1/3 cup of Parmigiano- Reggiano or Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds (toasted optional)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to your taste
Directions
Peel potato and chop however you prefer. Place in pot and cover with salted water and bring to boil. This took me about 10 minutes, yours may vary so watch! After it's been brought to a boil, turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender!
Drain potatoes, then add back to pot. Turn your burner up to high and stir constantly for 30 seconds to minute to allow potatoes to dry! You don't want watery mash potatoes, do you?
Now place potatoes in a bowl. Mash to the consistency you like, then add milk and butter and mix- do not add salt. At this point, you can separate un-pestoed and pesto mashed potatoes for those who do not want green potatoes on their plate.
To the potatoes you want pestoed (that's a word on this post, k?), add about 3 tablespoons of pesto. Mix, and done! To the potatoes you don't want pesto, add salt and pepper to your taste. Voila! Everyone's happy. And if you want the whole pot pesto, add 1/4 cup of pesto! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
