Aunt Shirley's Famous Creamy Mashed Potatoes

 

These are the mashed potatoes from Food Charlatan that go with the best pot roast ever!  My only recommendation is to halve the recipe - five pounds of potatoes makes A LOT of mashed potatoes.  And while they are completely awesome, the first time the boyfriend made them we had way more potatoes than we needed for the amount of roast (as in the meat was gone, but we still had tons of potatoes).  Besides, they are fairly easy and you can always make another batch of them if you do end up needing more the next night.

Aunt Shirley's Famous Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Serves 10-12    

My Aunt Shirley is famous for her mashed potatoes! They are SO creamy, fluffy, and have TONS of flavor. They are like soft pillowy clouds that melt in your mouth. I could describe them forever but you're just going to have to make them! A very unique recipe.

Ingredients

• 8-10 large russet potatoes (5 pounds), peeled
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, smashed and minced
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base*
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoned salt (taste it)
• fresh minced parsley, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. 
2. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 1 or 2 inch pieces. (See photos) 
3. Chop the onion. Smash and mince the garlic.  (You can use garlic from the jar in a pinch, but fresh is always better.)
4. Add the potatoes, onions, and garlic to the pot of boiling water. Bring it back up to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. 
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are very fork tender. 
6. Drain the potatoes carefully. I always use the lid and tip it over the sink but this can be a little heavy. Use a large colander if you have one. Return to the pot.
7. Add the cream cheese, butter, chicken bouillon, and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt. 
8. Use an electric mixer to whip the potatoes until ultra creamy. You shouldn't need to whip more than 1-2 minutes. Make sure you scrape the sides and bottom with a spatula. Don't over mix; once it's whipped, turn off the mixer.
9. Taste it and see if you would like to add up to 1 more teaspoon of seasoned salt.
10. Garnish with fresh parsley if you're a food blogger and need to post pictures of pretty food on the internet. Otherwise you can safely skip this step ;) 

Recipe Notes

*I like to use the Better than Bouillon brand, it's a paste that you store in the refrigerator after opening. It adds so much flavor! But if you don't have any, instant chicken bouillon granules will work too. That's what the original recipe calls for. Oh and I almost forgot, I used 1 tablespoon of chicken and one tablespoon of TURKEY base. Love that stuff. It's got tons of flavor. It's perfect for making Make Ahead Turkey Gravy, too. 

Source: This recipe, is, of course, from Aunt Shirley. :) 

Easiest Fall-Apart Pot Roast (slow cooker)

 

Here's my confession, I was never big on pot roast.  I couldn't understand the attraction.  Then the boyfriend found this recipe on Food Charlatan and made it.  I have now made it again a couple of times and it's the only way I'll make pot roast from now on.  In addition to how good it tastes, it's also really simple!  I am pasting her entire recipe below, but I don't sear it, just skip over those steps and jump to the part where she seasons the meat and adds it right to the slow cooker.  In addition, she has an amazing recipe for mashed potatoes (the boyfriend made them the first time, and I made them again this most recent time) and I will also blog them.   note: the carrots in my picture are roasted as I had to run to work and didn't have a chance to add them to the slow cooker.

The Easiest Fall-Apart Pot Roast (Slow Cooker)

Serves 6    

Super tender, juicy, fall-apart pot roast is not as hard as you think! This slow cooker recipe uses a few simple ingredients (one of them is patience...) to make the most flavorful (yet stupid easy) pot roast ever! Carrots add the perfect touch!

Ingredients

For the roast

• 3 to 4 pound chuck roast*
• copious amounts of salt and pepper (copious I say!)
• 1 tablespoon oil, optional (for browning)
• 1 and 1/2 cups water
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base**
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (1-ounce) packets of onion soup mix
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

For the gravy

• 2-3 cups of drippings from the meat
• 1-2 cups COLD water
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
• 2 tablespoons butter, optional
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. First you are going to have to make a choice about whether you want a really good roast, or a really REALLY good roast. Browning the meat before slow cooking makes it extra special. To do that:
2. Heat a wide skillet over medium high heat. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the roast. I would say I use somewhere between 1 and 1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and about a teaspoon of pepper.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the hot pan and swirl around to coat the bottom. It should be shimmery right away if your pan is hot enough.
4. Add the roast to the pan and don't move it for about 1-2 minutes. Check to make sure it is nice and brown, then flip it over and repeat on the other side. Brown every side of your roast that you can. It should not take more than 5-6 minutes.
5. Transfer the roast to your slow cooker (6 quart or larger).
6. Keep the hot pan on the stove and add the water and beef base. Stir, breaking up any brown bits on the pan, until the beef base is dissolved. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.
7. Sprinkle the roast with the dried thyme or add the fresh thyme. (Just throw the sprig in the pot)
8. Add the bay leaf.
9. Dump the 2 packets of onion soup mix directly on the roast (not in the water). Use your hand to rub the dry powder into the part of the roast that is exposed. Some of it will just fall off into the water, and that's fine.
10. Cover with the lid and set to low heat. Cook for 8-10 hours. If you are a bit short on time, you can turn the slow cooker on to "high" for one hour to get things boiling, then turn back down to low. I do NOT recommend cooking this on high for 4-5 hours. You can if you want, it will be cooked, but it will not be as tender!
11. If you are not browning the meat, it's so easy. Salt and pepper the meat, rub on the thyme and onion soup mix, and place in a slow cooker. You don't need the oil. Add all the other ingredients, set it on low, and you're done!
12. Add the carrots: about 3 hours before you want to eat, add the peeled and chopped carrots. See photos, they don't need to be tiny pieces, I tend to like the bigger chunks myself.
13. When the meat is fork tender and easy to shred, carefully remove it to a cutting board and let rest for a couple minutes. Then shred with two forks or slice with a serrated knife against the grain. Transfer the roast and the carrots to a serving platter and keep warm. (Taste a carrot to see if it needs salt and pepper)
14. To make the gravy: Use a fat separator to get the fat from the top of the drippings. Discard fat and add the drippings to a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to high. (Use all of the drippings that you have, up to 3 cups. You want about 4 cups of liquid going into your gravy, and at least one cup needs to be COLD water to dissolve the flour.)
15. In a measuring cup, whisk together 1-2 cups COLD water (or beef stock, if you're not using beef base) with the flour. Make sure you get rid of all the lumps.
16. When the drippings have heated to a boil, slowly stir in the flour mixture while stirring. Add the beef base and bring the mixture to a low boil.
17. Let the gravy simmer for 3-5 minutes until it has thickened.
18. At this point you can add the butter if you want. It's not necessary, but it does add some richness that I love. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure you taste it first!
19. Devour, preferably with these Famous Creamy Mashed Potatoes. To die for!!

Recipe Notes

*Meat options: For this recipe you can use a chuck roast, boneless chuck roast, chuck shoulder pot roast, etc. Look for good marbling! 

**You can omit the water and beef base and just add 1 and 1/2 cups good quality beef stock instead! This goes for the gravy too. (The ratio is 1 teaspoon of base per cup of water.) This is not a sponsored post, I just love how easy it is to keep beef base on hand in the fridge.