Chunky, creamy mashed potatoes. Rather than mashing these potatoes with a potato masher, you break these potatoes up with a wooden spoon. A bit of cream cheese, butter, and potato cooking water create a creamy sauce. Salt, pepper, and chives add a bit of flavour.

Smashed Potatoes

Slightly adapted from the Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. cream cheese
• 800-900g new potatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt, divided
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Remove cream cheese from fridge to soften.
2. Cover potatoes completely with water, add bay leaf and 1 tsp., and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are soft¹.
4. Remove from heat and reserve 1/4 c. of the potato cooking water.
5. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Allow them to rest until the surface looks dry (~5 minutes).
6. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, reserved cooking water, butter, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, chives, and pepper.
7. Once potatoes are dry, smash the potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.
8. Stir in cream cheese mixture.

---

¹ The cookbook says this should take 35-45 minutes, but maybe their potatoes were larger than what I had. Mine only took ~20 minutes. ^Back