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Wishbone U
Get good taste on your side
Use our instructor's tips and techniques to add perfect mashed potatoes and stuffing to your Thanksgiving table.
By JANET K. KEELER
Published November 9, 2005
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[Times photo: Bob Croslin]
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Laurie Jaworski, left, Sandra Hoolihan and Kathy Murphy prepare the ingredients for corn bread stuffing at instructor Lisa Smith’s St. Petersburg home during the second installment of Wishbone University. Smith’s stuffing tip? Start with Jiffy corn bread mix to simplify a complicated endeavor.
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ST. PETERSBURG - The test of a good cook may well be mashed potatoes.
Never have so few ingredients - potatoes, milk, butter, salt and pepper - flummoxed so many. The lumps, the glue-like texture, the runny mess all conspire, though not usually at the same time, to ruin this Thanksgiving favorite.
"Half of my friends make gummy potatoes, but nobody talks about it," says Lisa Smith of St. Petersburg. "There are tricks to potatoes."
Smith knows those tricks well, which is why we asked her to teach a session on side dishes for Wishbone University. The excellent cook gamely agreed, with the help of daughter Stacey, to share her expertise on mashed potatoes and corn bread stuffing despite having only 2 feet of counter space in her modest kitchen.
Smith proves every day that kitchen size doesn't matter when it comes to preparing delectable food. What counts is passion and expertise, and she has ample amounts of both.
In September, we asked readers to share their Thanksgiving cooking quandaries. We matched those with the most desperate tales with accomplished home cooks for cooking classes.
Crowded around Smith's kitchen table were: Laurie Jaworski of St. Petersburg, whose nemesis is dressing; Sandra Hoolihan of Safety Harbor, who claims to "stink horribly" at most Thanksgiving dishes; and Kathy Murphy of Tampa, who is "helpless" when it comes to mashed potatoes.
"In most cases, my boiled potatoes become like paste and my use of yogurt (vs. butter or sour cream) does not seem to fair well in the freezer," wrote Murphy.
No. 1: Don't use yogurt, Smith says. "Save your calories somewhere else. Yogurt makes mashed potatoes sour." And don't freeze mashed potatoes, she adds. When thawed, they become grainy and flavorless.
Class is in session.
Mashed potatoes
Making perfect mashed potatoes is as much about technique as it is ingredients, maybe more so. Some of Smith's rules (the rest are in the Step-by-Step Mashed Potatoes recipe that accompanies this story):
- Use large red potatoes, not russets, which are best for baking. The large reds mash creamy and smooth, Smith says. Yukon golds also produce creamy mashed potatoes but sometimes are difficult to find and can be small, which means you'll be peeling for longer than you'd like.
- Peel, cut and boil potatoes, taking extra care not to overcook. "Don't trust a timer on a potato. Test, test, test" by piercing with a fork, Smith says. If a recipe says the potatoes will be tender in 20 minutes, start testing at 10. Waterlogged potatoes turn to paste when mashed.
- After draining potatoes, return them to the pot on low burner and stir for a few minutes. This dries them completely. Water dilutes the butter/milk mixture.
- To mash, use an electric beater, a food mill or hand masher. Do not use a food processor. Do not overmix, which develops the gluten and turns potatoes gummy. If the potatoes are cooked well, they break down quickly.
- Add warm milk (or half and half) before butter. Smith says that if butter is added first, it coats the potatoes and prevents them from absorbing milk.
A spoonful of Smith's mashed potatoes has the trio of students rolling their eyes in delight. Can't we just eat here?
"Now, don't say "I can't,' because you never will," Smith tells them.
Corn bread stuffing
Laurie Jaworski's corn bread stuffing either turns out "really, really crumbly or something you scrape off your shoes." After a particularly fraught effort at scratch stuffing last year, her mother-in-law wondered if she was serving Stove Top.
If she follows Smith's suggestions this year, no one will mistake her stuffing for salty, overseasoned boxed stuffing.
Smith's Corn Bread Sausage Stuffing is a sweet and savory melange that starts with Jiffy corn bread mix and melds in the refrigerator overnight before baking. For Thanksgiving, Smith makes a sage stuffing but developed this recipe for our students.
Yes, you can make the corn bread from corn meal, but Jiffy provides a shortcut for an already involved endeavor, Smith says. The corn bread must be made and then allowed to dry slightly in the pan for a day or overnight.
Tips from Smith:
- Brown and drain bulk sausage. Press sausage with paper towel to blot excess oil and prevent stuffing from becoming greasy.
- Always cook aromatics such as celery, onions and carrots. Cooking intensifies and sweetens flavors plus softens hard veggies so that they meld with other ingredients. Cook them on low to medium heat covered, but do not brown.
- Eggs bind the dish. Smith suggests beating or whisking them until they are a creamy yellow. This adds volume to the finished product.
- During the final blending of ingredients, the mixture will look wet. Do not worry.
- You can experiment with seasonings and ingredients such as apples, carrots and type of sausage but follow the recipe once as written first.
"That's the whole secret of good cooking," Smith says. "Do it your way, according to your tastes."
Our students all agree that Professor Smith's way will soon be their own.
- Janet K. Keeler can be reached at 727 893-8586 or krieta@sptimes.com
WEEK TWO
COURSE: Savory Side Dishes
INSTRUCTOR: Lisa Smith, 58, St. Petersburg, a retired media sales manager with a reputation as an excellent cook. She also paints, gardens and writes.
STUDENTS: Kathy Murphy, 42, Tampa, a former human resources director, now a stay-at-home mother of three children under 3, including a set of twins.
Laurie Jaworski, 44, St. Petersburg, formerly a construction project manager, now a homemaker with a daughter, 4.
Sandra Hoolihan, 33, Safety Harbor, stay-at-home mother of two children, 2 and 4.
Wishbone U.
Nov. 2: Pumpkin pie. Read last week's installment at www.sptimes.com/Taste.shtml
Today: Mashed potatoes and corn bread stuffing.
Nov. 16: Roast turkey and gravy.
STEP-BY-STEP MASHED POTATOES
No. 1: Peel potatoes.
No. 2: Rinse under cool water.
No. 3: Cut in 1- to 11/2-inch chunks. Put in pot.
No. 4: Cover with cold water at least 3 inches above potatoes. Cover pan, leaving lid slightly ajar.
No. 5: Bring to a boil.
No. 6: Lower heat to medium-high, lower if your stove runs high. Water should be bubbling slightly but not a rolling boil.
No. 7: Cook for 12 to 18 minutes or until fork-tender.
No. 8: Drain immediately. If you allow potatoes to sit in water, they will be waterlogged and turn to paste when mashed.
No. 9: Return potatoes to original pot. Heat briefly in the pot over low heat to dry completely. Stir.
No. 10: Take off heat. Transfer to a mixing bowl if you can't prepare mashed potatoes in cooking pot.
No. 11: Beat in half-and-half or whole milk little by little to keep potatoes from becoming too wet. Suggested liquid amounts: For 4 cups (21/2 pounds) of cooked potatoes, use 1/2 cup of milk. For 8 cups (or 5 pounds), use 1 cup. Beat well to incorporate. (Five pounds of potatoes feeds 12 to 16 people.)
No. 12: Add butter, about 4 tablespoons for 4 cups cooked potatoes and 8 tablespoons for 8 cups.
No. 13: Salt and pepper to taste.
No. 14: Serve immediately or keep warm by placing pot in another pot or pan filled with hot water on low heat. A smaller amount can be kept warm in a double boiler.
- LISA SMITH
Corn Bread Sausage Stuffing
For corn bread:
6 eggs
3/4 cup oil
2 1/2 cups canned creamed corn
3 cups regular sour cream (see note)
3 boxes Jiffy corn bread mix
For stuffing:
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds Jimmy Dean maple sausage, cooked and well drained
1 celery heart, thinly sliced (see note)
3 medium white onions, diced
1 pound carrots, trimmed, washed and grated
2 Gala or Fuji apples, peeled, cored and diced
8 eggs, well-beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons sage
1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
3 tablespoons dried chives
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup chicken stock, divided use
Timing alert: Stuffing needs to be refrigerated overnight before cooking and corn bread needs to be made at least 8 hours before stuffing to give it time to cool and dry slightly. For Thanksgiving, start this dish on Tuesday night.
To make corn bread: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In medium bowl, beat eggs with mixer. Add oil, corn and sour cream, incorporating on low speed. Add Jiffy mix and blend. Do not overmix; there should still be some lumps.
Heavily butter a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Pour batter in pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes until top is puffed and golden brown.
To make stuffing: Melt butter in large saute pan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrots. Stir. Cook covered on medium heat until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Veggies will become soft but not brown. Put in a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, crumble corn bread. Add sausage, cooked vegetables, eggs and seasonings, including salt. Add diced apples. With well-washed hands, mix thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup of stock. Blend well.
Heavily butter a 9- by 13-inch pan and one 8- by 8-inch pan. Spoon stuffing into prepared pans.
Cover and refrigate overnight.
To bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle leftover 1/4 cup of chicken stock over both pans. Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Raise heat to 375 and bake another 30 to 35 minutes or until golden.
* Low-fat or fat-free sour cream will add too much moisture to the corn bread. Celery hearts usually come three to a package and look like a skinny bunch of celery. Use one whole bunch (or heart) including leaves, but trim tops and bottoms.
The larger pan will feed 12 to 15; the smaller one four to 6.
Source: Lisa Smith.
[Last modified November 9, 2005, 09:43:26]
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