Mashed Potatoes and Sausage

If there was a comfort food fit for a chilly fall evening then this would be it. My mother would brepare this in all it's carby buttered goodness. It doesn't have to be that way, really, so we all now use 1% milk and Becel. It's still absolutely delicious. And Alexis and Alistair, you both love them. Alexis loves the sausage coins and brother laps up spoonfuls of mashed potatoes. I'm hoping you both will love this for years to come.

The sausages are just store bought, parboiled and then roasted in the oven. It's the mashed potatoes that shine here. The recipe below makes a potful.



Mashed Potatoes 

Yukon/Yellow Potatoes		8 large
Garlic		4 cloves
Milk		2 cups
Butter/Becel		4 tbsp
Salt		1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop potatoes into approximately 2" cubes. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.
2. Fill a tall pot three quarters full with water. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil.
3. Drain potatoes and add to the pot.
4. Add the garlic cloves to the pot.
5. Wait for the pot to return to a boil and then reduce the heat slightly (med - med-high)
6. When the potatoes can be pierced with a knife without resistance, they are ready.
7. Strain the potatoes and garlic in a colander and rinse the pot they were boiled in.
8. Return the same pot to the same burner on the stove. It is already hot and timing is important now.
9. Add the Becel margarine to the pot. Let it melt completely.
10. Pour in the milk. This is critical. You do not want to add cold milk to the potatoes; the liquid must be brought up to heat to guarantee fluffiness. Else you will have starchy, gluey ick.
11. Once the milk is steamed through (but not boiling), add the salt.
12. Fish the four garlic cloves from the colander and add to the pot.
13. Using a potato masher, mash the garlic cloves until they are pulverized.
14. Stir the liquid together.
15. Return the potatoes to the pot and turn the heat off. The residual heat is more than enough to finish the dish.
16. Mash the potatoes until they are all light and fluffy. Do not overmash or the texture will go from fluffy to gloopy.
17. Taste for salt - you can always add a little more salt and/or butter.
18. Dig in!