Herbed Mashed Potatoes with Roquefort Cheese

Chef

Cookbook

The Best of Christopher Idone

Published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang

View

This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

Editor's Note: These Herbed Mashed Potatoes with Roquefort Cheese take your typical cheesy potatoes and bump them up a notch. Unlike other mashed potato recipes, this one uses sophisticated Roquefort cheese to complement the flavor of the herbs and create a creamy, rich side dish that's perfect for any meal. You can also substitute the Roquefort cheese with goat cheese for a new and exciting flavor (see the Notes section). Dinner parties will never be the same - these mashed potatoes will quickly become everyone's favorite!

Serves6

CostModerate

Easy

Total Timeunder 1 hour

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

One Pot MealYes

OccasionCasual Dinner Party

Recipe CourseSide Dish

Five Ingredients or LessYes

MealDinner

MoodBlue

Taste and TextureButtery, Cheesy, Creamy, Herby, Rich, Savory

Type of DishVegetable

Ingredients

4 pounds russet or Idaho potatoes
1 cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 to 3 gratings fresh nutmeg
¼ cup mixed fresh herbs (any combination of parsley, chives, chervil, thyme, rosemary, or tarragon), chopped
8 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Peel and halve the potatoes and place in a kettle of lightly rsalted cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, or centers are easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to the kettle, and cover.
In a medium saucepan, scald the milk and cream together over medium heat. Add the butter and continue cooking until the butter is melted. Do not let mixture boil over.
Push the potatoes through a ricer held over a large sauté pan; or mash them by hand in the kettle, using a potato masher. Stir the potatoes over medium heat and gradually pour in the scalded milk mixture. Mix until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and fold in the herbs. Serve potatoes on warm plates and sprinkle with Roquefort cheese. Serve with roasted chicken, grilled steak, or chops.

Notes:

Substitute soft goat cheese for the Roquefort (unseasoned, uncoated Montrachet is best). Cut the goat cheese into ¼-inch rounds and place over each portion of mashed potatoes.