Spud Tips: Mashing, Roasting, Serving

>Keeping Mashed Potatoes Warm On Thanksgiving Day, when last minute tasks can be overwhelming, you can make mashed potatoes up to two hours ahead and keep them warm over a water bath. Simply transfer the potatoes to a stainless steel or other heatproof mixing bowl, cover with aluminum foil, and position the bowl over an inch or two of simmering water.

>roasting garlic  To roast garlic to use in mashed potatoes or other dishes, heat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a very sharp chef’s knife and chop off about the top ¾-inch of a head of garlic. (Or chop off enough so that each clove is slightly exposed.) Leave the head intact (do not separate the cloves) and place it on a double layer of aluminum foil. Drizzle the head (or heads) with olive oil and wrap the aluminum foil up around the head. Place the package in a small casserole dish or on a small sheet pan and put it in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes or until the cloves are just tender and soft through. Let cool at least 15 to 20 minutes before squeezing the garlic cloves out of their skins by applying pressure to the base of the head.

> improvising roast potatoes Nothing could be easier than roast potatoes, so if you don’t have your own “house” version, now is the time to invent one. Here’s how:  Cut potatoes into evenly sized chunks (smaller cook faster) and toss with olive oil, kosher or sea salt, and your choice of chopped fresh herbs. To customize even more, add same-sized chunks of onions, bell peppers, or button mushrooms—all aromatic vegetables that will lend flavor to your potatoes. (Be careful adding other vegetables that may overcook in the time it takes for potatoes to roast.) You can add a little Dijon mustard or a bit of wine into the mix, too. Spread the vegetables in one layer—snuggish but not overlapping—on a sheet pan or a in a shallow roasting pan, and roast at 400 degrees until browned and tender—usually about 45 minutes. If you dice the potatoes very small and turn the oven up to 450, you can have roasted potatoes in about 25 minutes.