Mixing It Up – Garlic Mashed Potatoes w/ Corn

     We had these incredible mashed potatoes at a covered dish dinner over the weekend. Although I like to mix corn with mashed potatoes, I’d never thought about combining the two into one dish – very good! And, the garlic adds another flavor component.

     Jean Mohler, who provided this recipe for the covered dish, said she assembled the potatoes early in the afternoon and set them in the fridge; then put them in the oven to thoroughly heat for the evening meal. She also commented, “The garlic seemed very strong initially, but it mellowed as the potatoes were in the refrigerator.”

     Jean provided the link to the recipe and that’s when I discovered the recipe came from Stephan Pyles (appeared in the July 2000 issue of Bon Appétit). We’ve been fans of Chef Stephan since we ate in one of his Dallas restaurants. His The New Texas Cuisine cookbook is full of interesting recipes.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Corn

1½ tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup fresh corn kernels (Jean used frozen)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 3/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1” pieces

Salt & pepper to taste

1.     Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add corn and garlic; sauté until onion is golden and corn is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Add cream, butter and saffron. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 20 minutes.

2.     Meanwhile, cook potatoes in large pot of boiling slated water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well.

3.     Transfer to large bowl. Mash until smooth. Stir in corn mixture. Season with salt and pepper.