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Mom’s Mashed Cheese Potatoes
Reliving my childhood through mashed cheese potatoes. Eating this brings me right back there. I can see myself sitting at the dinner table: scraped knees, bruises and a messed up ponytail while eating a big plate full of this. I could have come up with a smashing name for the dish, but I didn’t. It’s just one of those really simple and old family recipes. They didn’t come with fancy names back in those days.
This is what my mom used to make for me when I was feeling sick. And after my tonsils were removed at the age of 21, which was seriously no walk in the park. Or whenever I needed a pick me up during all the drama teenage girls go through for years and years and years. And after dramatic breakups with boyfriends. There were lots of those as well!
Have to admit I’m secretly glad I had a little boy. I would have been in a world of trouble having to raise a little girl from the same gene pool as me. My mom would have been the first to wholeheartedly agree with that.
But anyway, I digress…
Ingredients:
2 pounds potatoes
2/3 cup of milk
6 oz aged cheese
black pepper
nutmeg
butter
salt
Directions:
I wasn’t lying about the scraped knees and bruises! See! They had to bribe me into wearing a dress. I still remember how my mom thought it cute to dress me and my somewhat older sister alike. We absolutely hated it.
On to the recipe.
Here’s a little over 2 pounds potatoes.
Peel them, give them a quick wash and cut them in coarse pieces.
I usually eyeball the amount of salt I use but I wanted to know for sure this time. Have some actual facts! I’ve used exactly 4 cups of water and 2 tsp salt for this. What can I say? I like over-sharing. And my new bright pink measuring cup.
Boil them until really tender. Cooking time depends on how small you’ve cut the taters. Mine took about 20 minutes. Set your timer!
Photo one is me showing off my Jamie Oliver pan. Photo 2 is me pouring 2/3 cup of milk in said pan. If you got it, flaunt it, right?
This version uses Gouda cheese and I’ve never used a different cheese for this, so if you want to try a different one; you’re on your own! I cubed 6 oz of it.
Now here’s where my recipe differs from the majority of recipes that add grated cheese to mashed potatoes. This next step makes a HUGE difference flavor wise. I need the cheese flavor to be everywhere. I wasn’t talking about mashed potatoes with an occasional cheese cube. Nope, I literally meant mashed cheese potatoes.
So here’s what I do. Or better said; here’s what my mom and my grandmother used to do and what will make my sisters (who read my blog, too) smile when they see it. I add the cheese cubes to the milk. The moment the potato timer only has 10 minutes left to go, you place the pan on the stove.
Melt the cheese over low heat. The milk does not reach boiling point! The cheese cubes will get all soft, some will melt completely, some of them won’t, but they will all release their fat. The milk will take on the flavor (and color) of the cheese. As soon as you see that yellow layer appear on top of the milk, turn off the heat.
Drain the potatoes. Add a good knob of butter and season with pepper and (freshly grated) nutmeg to taste. Can’t stretch this enough; freshly grated nutmeg makes all the difference. Even confirmed nutmeg haters have been converted when they tasted freshly grated nutmeg!
Pour the cheesy milk in with the potatoes.
Start mashing to your heart’s content. If you want a homogenized version, break out your hand-mixer. I never do, though, it’s not part of my childhood memory.
My version still has some texture with a half melted cheese cube here and there. Check the seasoning.
The scraped knees, broken hearts, tonsils and my mom are long gone. What stays are the wonderful memories. Too many to mention.
What’s that one special dish that makes you relive your childhood days?
@Ita:
The fun thing was that in certain parts of the Netherlands we talk with a so-called hard G. Gouda is a hard G part of the country. Other places here use a soft G. That was so strange. I had to speak with a soft G for months after my tonsils were removed.
I still can’t yodel :)
cheese and potatoes…. always good together.
though not sure on the Gouda – I tried some and it was a bit different for me…
btw, what a cute pic! definitely a tomboy!
OOoooOOooo! I can’t wait to make this, my hubby will love it, and so will I.
Heerlijk beschreven, en eerst de melk en kaas samen doen is een goede tip! Mijn comfort food van vroeger was dat, als je een schoolreisje had, mijn ouders en broers en zussen al gegeten hadden (om 4.00 uur!!) en jij werd dan opgehaald van de bus en thuisgekomen had mijn moeder dan voor jou alleen opgebakken aardappels gemaakt met een stukje vlees en appelmoes. Dit was dan zoooooooooooooo lekker en je voelde je zo speciaal!
gbtw. mijn knieen en scheenbenen zagen er net zo uit!
all good things
cool blog
This sounds so rich and delicious! So wonderful that you are getting these memories down so they can be remembered and read time and time again.
I made this last night and it was just PHENOMENAL!!!
This is an absolutely perfect recipe for me to make for New Year’s Eve tonight!
(My poor boyfriend got his wisdom teeth out on Tuesday, surely this will be a nice break from Jell-O)
Thank you for sharing your stories and your food. :)
Thanks for the inspiration to add nutmeg to my smashed garlic taters recipe, I wrote about it in my last post. Please thank your mom also.
@Brad:
Thanks Brad, but that’s gonna be a wee bit hard. My mom passed away May 2008.
Kay, this looks wonderful. I haven’t had Gouda since I was a kid. I thought Daddy was teasing-saying it was good cheese but pronouncing it Gouda. Lovely memories. Thank you for sharing them.
My favorite family recipe has to be my great-great-grandmother’s molasses cookies.
My Momma’s sick food was cracker soup: heated milk with a pat of butter poured over crumbled Saltine crackers. Kind of like milktoast (which my sisters liked, but I didn’t) only with crackers. She also made chicken noodle soup, but not just when we were sick. Mashed potato filling (stuffing) for chicken or turkey is also something my Momma made that I never had anywhere else until I started making my own.
Hi Kay,
I have been looking for a dinner set similar to the black bowls that you have served the mashed potatoes in here. Can you tell me what set are they a part of? I saw something similar in a Nigella Lawson show and have been looking for it ever since.
Thanks,
Arunima
@Arunima Singh:
Not really part of a set. Just a serving plate with 2 bowls I bought in a tiny Dutch store (Oil & Vinegar) about two years ago. I think it’s handmade black pottery. Instantly fell in love with them the moment I saw them.
Yummy, I will have to try the gouda and nutmeg idea, nice picture by the way. You were not kidding about those knees woman! I don’t know I might have an uglier dress picture than that. :)
Yummy! I will have to try the gouda and nutmeg idea. Nice picture by the way, you were not kidding about those knees! :)
I’m definitely going to try that… :D
wat een geweldig recept! ik ben nooit actief op zoek geweest naar een nederlands recept van aardappelpuree met kaas, maar het is zeker weten mijn favoriet. ik ga dit recept zeker proberen, ook al wordt het nu zomer :)
Great recipe… Usually filipino don’t cook mashed potato, but just recently i was assigned to do so & i bumped on this recipe. They are really shocked as i did it with fyling color. Many thanks to you Kay! Now i have something to be proud of to my Americans friends.