Asian Sesame Mashed Potatoes
I promise these are real mashed potatoes. They aren’t secretly pumpkin cupcakes or some bizarre looking vanilla cotton candy. It’s April 24th, not April 1st. There is, however, a surprise to these mashed potatoes. They don’t taste like any mashed potatoes you have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Sometimes expanding our tastebuds into unfamiliar territories is a good thing. This is one of those times.
When contemplating what to serve with Tuesday’s pacific halibut foil packets with shiitakes and snap peas I could only think of my two asian food standbys: rice and noodles. Both seemed like fine, but very boring, options for a dish with a light and thin sauce. There was one comment on the original recipe that mentioned serving it with mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes and asian cuisine? It certainly seemed like an odd combination so of course I knew I had to try it.
The humble potato is pretty bland on its own and tends to take on whatever flavor profile it is intertwined with, usually butter, milk and salt for the purpose of mashed potatoes. Mimicking some of the asian flavors in the fish dish would, hopefully, provide the perfect complement. And it did! Success! These mashed potatoes were so uniquely tasty and I can’t wait to serve them with stir-fries, sesame chicken or even to jazz up a meal of simple grilled chicken.
I kept the side dish as healthy as one can when we’re talking about mashed potatoes by substituting Greek yogurt for the usual milk or cream. The potatoes are creamy with a strong nuttiness from the toasted sesame oil. Give it a shot and let your tastebuds venture into delicious unfamiliar territory.
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
- 4 ounces plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- Boil the potatoes in a large saucepan for 30 minutes, or until they are very tender. Drain the potatoes using a colander then place the cooked potatoes back in the pot.
- Mash the potatoes very well then add the Greek yogurt, butter, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mash again until the potatoes are well mixed and fluffy. Adjust sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and serve hot.
Recipe slightly adapted from myrecipes.