mashed potatoes

These are not your snow-white unblemished refined regular ol' mashed potatoes, no siree, not by a long shot. The potatoes were cooked whole then riced. The milk used to moisten the riced potatoes is heavily infused with butter, crushed garlic, horseradish, and thickened with cornmeal milled from popcorn seeds because I have a bowl of it sitting here and I felt like imparting the flavor of corn to the potatoes. Daring, I know.

The Hirtenkase cheese was something I picked up on a whim. It's strong and it's excellent.

The potatoes are small to medium size. They were getting old and I had to do something with them. Two were so soft and wrinkly I threw them out. If these were to have gone any longer they'd have begun to sprout. You know, that's not an entirely bad idea. With a little dirt and a flat tray, they make attractive little bonsai potato plants. I have one on my patio grown from a neglected sweet potato. My housekeeper thinks it's fascinating.

Gravy made with a dry roux, which is my new thing. I add all kind of flavor powders to it, the usual stuff, cayenne, any of six or so curries, garlic powder, along with mixed dry Italian seasoning, then add some kind of liquid, either chicken broth or water from soaking dried mushrooms, milk, water from steaming or cooking vegetables or pasta, pan drippings, wine, frozen chicken broth ice cubes, surplus dashi, miso, pretty much any liquid I can scrounge at the moment I make it. Oddly, though, it's never occurred to me to try plain tap water.

These potatoes with gravy along with one of the little arancini made earlier turned out to be a very nice and satisfying lunch that I wouldn't mind at all sharing with a visitor.