STS Cookin': Creamy Mashed Potatoes

This week at STS Cookin' we are going to take a look at a simple and common tailgate food, mashed potatoes. they are a fantastic way to feed a lot of people, and even the most complicated of recipes are pretty straightforward.

This one comes from my grandma, and she always used a special trick to try and get the potatoes as creamy as possible. Rather than using an electric mixer to mash the potatoes, she always used a simple flour sifter. It takes some work, but it helps get a nice creamy texture.

Ingredients:

3 Russet Potatoes

4 tbl unsalted Butter

1/2 - 3/4 cup Milk

4 cloves Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Favorite shredded cheese

Instructions:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into equal pieces. Peel the garlic and cut into rough pieces.

2. Place the potatoes pieces into a bowl of water and soak for 30-60 minutes (if short on time you can skip this step)

3. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the potatoes and garlic. There should be enough water in the pot to cover the potatoes. Leave the flame on high and cook the potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until tender. You want a fork to easily slide into and out of the potatoes, but you don't want to cook it much past that.

4. Strain the potatoes and garlic and place in a bowl.

5. While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter on the stove, and heat the milk in the microwave. The goal here is to get both to room temperature. Cold milk and butter draws heat from the potatoes and causes the mashed potatoes to cool to quickly.

6. Place the butter and milk in a bowl, and begin mashing the potatoes and garlic by pressing them through the strainer. Once all potatoes have been mashed, add as much cheese as wanted.

7. Mix everything together, and add more milk or butter as is needed for desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon onto plate and added desired amount of your favorite gravy. Enjoy. My favorite way to eat this is with some roast beef and a bit of french bread.