Luck o’ The Irish Mash

It was not until I had a giant pot of mashed potatoes on my hands that I realized I do not own a serving bowl. I have crème brulee dishes and four cake stands but not one serving bowl.

I guess I’m ready to admit I’m more of a baker than a cook, but recipes like this Irish mash make me wonder why I don’t spend more time cooking.

One rare occasions, just for the sake of trying something new, I will purchase a one-ingredient wonder instead of finding a substitute I already have on hand. For this recipe, that new ingredient was a jar of wasabi powder to make wasabi paste.

In the final dish, all I could taste was horseradish. If you do not want to purchase wasabi powder, horseradish or hot mustard seem like reasonable substitutions. I would recommend adding at least one of them because – at least in the case of the wasabi – it really did add to the flavor.

I found this recipe from the What Katie Ate cookbook inspired by the blog of the same name. This cookbook has some of the most stunning food photographs I have ever seen.

The photos were gorgeous to the point the recipes were little more than an afterthought the first time I looked through it. Do yourself a favor and check it out from your local library or flip through its pages at your local book seller. Both your eyes and your taste buds will thank you. Enjoy!

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Irish Mash

Author What Katie Ate by Katie Quinn Davies

Yield 4

Ingredients

• For the Mash
• 6 large russet potatoes
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup whipping cram
• 3 tablespoons butter, plus additional for serving
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 white or green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• For the Topping
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1 handful (roughly one cup) white or green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 handful (roughly 1/3-1/2 cup) pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes if desired and cut them in half.
2. Place them in a pot filled with salted water and bring to a boil.
3. Allow the potatoes to boil for 30 minutes or until a knife or fork is easily inserted into the centers.
4. Drain the cooked potatoes before returning them to the pan.
5. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash the potatoes until fairly smooth.
6. Add the milk and continue to mix until the potatoes are quite smooth.
7. Next beat in the whipping cream and the butter.
8. Season with the wasabi paste and the salt and pepper to taste.
9. Set aside over low heat while you prepare the cabbage and mash topping.
10. Bring a second pot of salted water to a boil.
11. Gently stir in the cabbage and allow to cook for 6-8 minutes until tender, yet still slightly crisp.
12. Drain the cooked cabbage, then stir it into the potatoes along with the scallions.
13. To prepare the topping, heat the oil or melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
14. Add the cabbage, scallions, pine nuts and sesame seeds and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly crispy and toasted.
15. To serve, warm the potatoes and top with the cabbage and pine nut mixture. Add butter and salt and pepper as desired.