Mashed potatoes (fr. Pur e, nar. crushed) – a favorite dish from early childhood! Boiled, fragrant potatoes, crushed and filled with hot milk from their cow, seasoned with homemade cow butter, how delicious it was! And how many delicious purees were then prepared – pies, casseroles, potato dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, you can’t list everything. Each country has its own mashed potatoes and, despite the similarity in preparation, the recipe is different. So in France, mashed potatoes are called “puree”, in England “mash”, in other English-speaking countries you can often hear the name of the dish “crash potatoes”, in Ukraine “mashed potatoes”, in Belarus – “bulby puree”, in Italy “pur de patates”, in Germany – “kartoffelpuree” and all this mashed potatoes. The popularity of the dish is undeniably great. Italians traditionally add olive oil, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes and cream cheese to mashed potatoes. In England, potatoes are boiled with celery root, mashed potatoes are seasoned with fresh cheese, milk is replaced with vegetable broth, butter with vegetable or spread (a mixture of butter and vegetable oil). In Ukraine, when boiling potatoes, garlic cloves are added, in Belarus, an onion is added, as soon as the potatoes are cooked, the onion is removed. The classic recipe for mashed potatoes can be considered and taken as a basis for the French recipe. Prepare it, having previously learned the five rules. Rule one. Potatoes are peeled, whole tubers are dipped in boiling water, otherwise the potatoes will lose all their taste. Peeled tubers are boiled in a large saucepan under a lid over high heat, but in a small amount of salted water, that is, the water should only cover the potatoes. Rule two. In real mashed potatoes, proper mashed potatoes, you should add a lot of butter. For 2 kilograms take about 600 grams of potatoes. Rule three. To make the puree airy, without a single potato piece, the potatoes should be rubbed through a sieve. Then, while beating the potatoes with a stiff whisk, add half the norm of softened butter on a spoon. Rule four. Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan, remove the foam and pour into the puree in a thin stream. It is important to cook in this sequence – first introduce oil, then milk. Then, whisking vigorously, add the rest of the butter. Rule five. The French never reheat puree. In a self-respecting French restaurant, mashed potatoes are prepared and kept warm, when it is finished, a new, fresh batch of mashed potatoes is prepared. In mashed potatoes, cooking it at home, it is not necessary to add so much butter, this is a matter of taste and personal preference. Mashed potato dishes. Mashed potatoes as a base are used to prepare other dishes. Potato casseroles are prepared by adding fried minced meat or vegetables, fish, seafood, asparagus, mushrooms. A layer of mashed potatoes mixed with chicken eggs is placed at the bottom of the mold, then a layer of filling, covered again with mashed potatoes, greased the surface of the casserole with sour cream or yogurt and baked in the oven. Serve with fresh vegetable salad. Potato pies are made from potato dough, which, in turn, is combined with eggs and flour. No yeast or soda is added to the dough. The dough is wrapped with a filling of fried liver with onions, mushrooms with onions, boiled rice and eggs, green onions and eggs, meat, fried minced meat, boiled, chicken meat, cheese, sauerkraut or stewed white cabbage. Pies are fried in a pan in oil, served with sour cream. Pancakes are made from mashed potatoes. Puree is combined with warm milk and beaten eggs, flour is added. Pancakes are baked in a hot pan with butter. Pancakes are made thick, because thin ones will be difficult to remove from the pan. Pancakes are served with sour cream, butter, sour milk. Dumplings are made from mashed potatoes. Eggs and flour are added to the puree so much that a steep dough is obtained. Pinch off the dough with wet hands and roll into balls. Semi-finished products are stacked on a board sprinkled with flour. Dumplings are boiled in salted, boiling water for 5 minutes from the moment they rise to the surface. While dumplings are cooking, prepare the sauce. Finely chop dill with garlic, rub lightly with salt, add ground pepper, pour yogurt or non-fat sour cream. Dumplings are served with sauce. Potato pans are made from cold mashed potatoes. Eggs are beaten, small koloboks are formed, they are flattened, rolled in flour and fried in a large amount of vegetable oil. Potato pancakes are served with fried onions, fried mushrooms, cracklings and sour cream. Mashed potatoes are served as a side dish. only in its natural form, but also baked in the oven. A crispy, ruddy crust forms on the surface. You can add fried bacon, mushrooms, onions and other vegetables to the puree. The dish will not be considered a casserole, because it is baked for a short time, no eggs are added to the mashed potatoes, it is laid out in plates just like mashed potatoes, and not like a casserole cut into pieces. Mashed potatoes are combined to taste with spices and seasonings such as cumin, garlic, paprika, thyme, bay leaf, dill, parsley, black pepper, allspice, coriander. The broth left over from cooking potatoes can be partially added to the puree itself, used to knead yeast dough on it for baking (lean) pies, the dough is very airy due to the high starch content. You can use the decoction to prepare light, vegetable soups and mashed soups.