Bangers and Mash

Ingredients

For the mash

• 900g floury main crop potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 55g butter
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Potato Tips

The only tip is to make sure you use floury potatoes (Maris Piper, Desiree, King Edward, Estima, Nadine, Rooster, Saxon and Wilja are suitable varieties) as opposed to waxy ones, otherwise you won’t achieve the smooth fluffy texture and could end up with something more like wallpaper paste!

Method

Drain the potatoes and allow to sit so that the steam evaporates off. Mash until smooth – you could use a potato ricer as this achieves a nice smooth consistency, but a regular masher or even a fork will do.

Beat in the butter with some seasoning and enough milk to make a smooth, creamy mash.

Variations

Mashed potato can be dressed up with all manner of things for an extra wow factor.

• Try substituting half the quantity of potato with parsnip or celeriac
• Add a good grating of fresh nutmeg
• A handful of chopped spring onions for crunch and bite
• A dollop of wholegrain mustard for a tangy kick
• Grate in some strong cheddar or Parmesan cheese – a smoked one would be good too
• A swirl of pesto
• Go mad and add a dash of chilli sauce

It’s really up to you, but these are a few pointers to get you started.