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Mashed Potatoes with Mushrooms and Onions

Once not only a staple but a main course, this is one of those side dishes many people can’t get enough of. Serve with something light and lean, like plain broiled fish.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
Salt and black pepper to taste
5 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream, or more to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Boil the potatoes in a pot with salted water to cover until soft, at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When its foam subsides, add the onion and mushrooms, along with a large pinch of salt and a sprinkling of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Both onion and mushrooms should become a little crispy on the edges.

    Step 2

    When the potatoes are done, drain them, then mash them well or put them through a food mill. Return them to the pot over the lowest possible heat and stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, along with the sour cream. Stir in the onion and mushrooms, along with any butter remaining in that pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or sour cream as necessary. Serve immediately, keep warm, or reheat in a microwave.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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