Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to reader Lu Stanton of Tulsa, Oklahoma for this food-related
morality play:

A bricklayer routinely complained to his co-workers about the contents
of his lunch box. "I'm sick and tired of getting the same old thing,"
he shouted one day. "Tonight I'll set my wife straight."

The next day the men could hardly wait until lunchtime to hear what
happened.

"You bet I told her off," the bricklayer boasted. "I said, 'No more
of the same old stuff. Be creative!' We had one heck of a fight, but
I got my point across."

He had indeed. In front of an admiring audience, he opened his lunch
box to find that his wife had packed a coconut and a hammer.

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I selected this recipe because not only is it a wonderful dish, but it
also demonstrates that Julia Child, stickler for classic technique
though she was, was always ready to learn a new technique. Earlier
versions of this recipe were much more complicated and involved making
a roux, but Julia says that this version is "far simpler and better."

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

All recipes this week are adapted from "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom -
Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking" by Julia
Child, available from Amazon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375411518/worldwiderecipes

2 - 2 1/2 lbs (900-1350 g) russet or Yukon Gold potatoes,
peeled and quartered
12-16 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
2 Tbs (30 ml) butter, or more to taste
1/2 cup (125 ml) cream or milk, or more to taste
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain and return to the pot. Keep the pot over very low heat to dry
the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine the garlic and
butter in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the garlic is
tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for
10 minutes. Puree the mixture in an electric blender or food
processor. Put the potatoes through a potato ricer or mash with an
electric mixer and stir in the garlic mixture, salt, and white pepper.
Add more cream and/or butter if desired. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed Aug 18 10:00:34 2004