Enliven your mashed potatoes with tangy horseradish cream

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

M

y father enjoyed horseradish in many dishes, but the second Yankee Chef’s favorite side dish was horseradish cream and mashed potatoes. Generations of New Englanders have enjoyed horseradish in one form or another, not just as a side to prime rib. Heck, my family could never afford prime rib until I was in my adulthood so we enjoyed this quite frequently with any protein. Try this great-tasting, kick-in-the-pants side dish and taste how our grandparents ate. Peel potatoes if you don’t want the skin, but it just isn’t the same.

Baked mashed potatoes with horseradish sauce.

3 pounds potatoes, unpeeled and diced
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 tablespoon dried chives (or 2 tablespoons fresh snipped)
1/2 cup half-and-half, light cream or milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 450-degrees F. In a large pot, boil potatoes until fork tender; drain.

Return potatoes to pot and mash with half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste, all sour cream except a 1/4-cup and the chives. Transfer mashed potatoes to a shallow casserole dish.

Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise with the horseradish, sour cream and mustard. Evenly spread over the top of the mashed potatoes and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot, bubbling and starting to brown on top. Remove to serve immediately.
Makes about 6 to 8 cups
Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.