SMASHED Potatoes With Mushroom Ragout

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When I was in graduate school, I took a pottery class, with the hopes that kneading the clay and learning how to throw pots on the wheel would help me vent stress. I was wrong, dead wrong, and should have just stuck with what I knew best–food. I should have vented my stress by SMASHIN’ some potatoes. I really don’t know why every time I type SMASHED in caps, I grin ear-to-ear, but I do. So, so be it. 😀

These potatoes are super easy to make. Literally, bake, SMASH, and serve. You can totally fancy them up by serving them with herb butter and a mushroom ragout (recipe below). Or, you can just eat them as is, in their pure and simple form, as true comfort food should be.

SMASHED Potatoes With Mushroom Ragout

SMASHED Potatoes

I made these potatoes sans dairy given the dietary constraints of my dinner guests, but they could totally be made with real butter and cream. If you do decide to go dairy-free, definitely try the cashew puree. It creates a creamy texture and is my ‘go-to’ method for adding lactose-free richness. I use it in grits, potatoes, chowders, you name it!.

Ingredients:

5 Yukon Gold potatoes

1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews (soaked in water 4hrs-overnight)

2 tablespoons cream cheese (I used vegan)

1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk

1/4 cup vegetable broth

salt, pepper (to taste)

herb butter

Method:

*Soak cashews.

*Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Wash potatoes. Prick with fork. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake potatoes for 30-45 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

*Drain cashews. Add to blender along with milk, broth, and cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Roughly chop potatoes and add to large pot. Add creamed cashew mixture. And SMASH! with potato smasher. Adjust milk (if need be); add salt, and pepper. Serve with herb butter and mushroom ragout (see below for recipe).

Mushroom Ragout

Most of the mushroom ragouts that I’ve had actually use red wine, which would also be o.k., but this version, which uses white wine, is light and really allows the mushroom flavor to shine through. It was just perfect with our vegan dinner… Oh, and isn’t this such a sexy picture!?!?

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil (approximately)

1 large portobello mushroom

3-5 Cremini mushrooms

3-5 Chanterelle mushrooms

3-5 Shiitake mushrooms

1 small yellow onion

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt, pepper (to taste)

Method:

*Chop mushrooms, onions, and herbs.

*Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook until mushrooms and onions are soft. Add pepper and chopped herbs. Cook until the mushrooms have released most of their water (~10-15 min.). Add salt and wine. Cook until wine reduces to about half (~10 minutes). Serve with SMASHED potatoes.

Written by

Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

Comments

  1. I’m picturing you with a big grin while smashing those potatoes hehehe 🙂 I can definitely see how that would relieve some stress.
    I think a plate of that yummy food there + a glass of wine would be enough to put me at ease 🙂 Delish!

  2. There’s that wonderful herbed butter again. Mmmm. While I am not a huge potato fan, those mushrooms look absolutely incredible. I will have a small helping of potatoes with lots of herbed butter and a monster serving of mushrooms!

    Thanks for the recipe!

  3. Oh my..I love smashed potatoes! And yes, I agree they are amazing stress relief LOL!
    Nice job on this recipe..it is mouth watering!!!

  4. Your mushroom ragout looks so good! I love that you used lots of different mushrooms :).

  5. I wanted to take a pottery class too. but their class hours could not fit my schedule. Now I have seconds thoughts :)))

    Your smashed potatoes with the herb butter sounds delicious. Love the mushroom ragout also.
    thanks for sharing

    have a wonderful day,
    Roxana

  6. That looks so good! I love the mushrooms – I’m thinking of all kinds of things this can be paired with. Great recipe 🙂

  7. My usual trick for de-stressing is baking up a giant batch of homemade bread (kneading dough is SO good for working out frustrations!), but I can totally see how smashing potatoes would do the trick too. 🙂
    Love the idea of topping the potatoes with a mushroom ragout… sounds like perfect winter comfort food. Definitely on my must-try list.

  8. That looks absolutely delicious, warm and filling 🙂 sounds perfect for winter(especially here! it’s FREEZING!) I love how you paired it with mushroom ragout instead of typical gravy. Makes it much more interesting 🙂

  9. Oh, how I love mushrooms, and that recipe sounds amazing! Definitely one to try. Thanks!

  10. PS: Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog 🙂 Enjoy your weekend!

  11. Wow!! This is just the kind of food that makes it easy to be vegetarian. I love everything in it! Great, mouthwatering photos too!

  12. mmmm…the potato puree looks so smooth and delicious! The recipe is the keeper.

  13. Wow! These look delicious! I’m sure glad you stuck with food. I’m not vegan but, I’m so inspired by your recipes.

    • Thanks Sandy! I’m glad I stuck with food too! p.s… I’m not vegan either! 😀

  14. This looks like wonderful comfort food! Just like you, I love to smash in the kitchen. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe! Many blessings on you and yours this weekend!

  15. Oh, how I love thee! Potatos… mushrooms… MMM!!! I’m excited to make these! This cashew addition is very curious to me. I’d love to try it! Cashew puree! What else can it be added to?

    • You can add the cashew puree to anything that you want to make creamy and rich… potatoes, grits, soups/stews. It’s pretty awesome!

  16. Nice yummy post!

    Thanks for your question! Bruising the ginger is kinda like hitting somebody. But in this case I used a knife by flattening it. This video may help explaining better http://www.ehow.com/video_7731634_bruise-ginger-root.html

    This methods is to get more flavour out from the root.

    • cool! Thanks for sharing!

  17. I love the idea of smashing potatoes, but my husband is a purist and turns up his nose at skins in his mashed potatoes. The mushroom ragu looks divine. What a great combination of flavors!

  18. Very intrigued by the cashew puree you use in those yummy smashed potatoes. And, those delicious savory mushrooms just doubled the pleasure 🙂 So nice to meet you, fellow Patriots fan!

  19. Combining 2 of my favorite simple ingredients…mushrooms and potatoes! Sounds like it would be the perfect accompaniment with a Porterhouse…

    • No Porterhouse for me! But these are great nonetheless 😀

  20. What a great meatless comfort meal! I love the addition of herb butter on top of the potatoes. Yum! Theresa