Oct 21, 2010

Sage Mashed Potatoes

As much as we love them, mashed potatoes can seem a bit plain next to the other, brighter dishes on the holiday table. So we were excited to test a recipe from Marietta, a home cook in upstate New York, for sage mashed potatoes, which involves a few ingenious methods for infusing the herb's brisk fragrance into the mash. Here's how to do it.

Credit: Todd Coleman

1. Cut 3 lbs. unskinned red potatoes into large chunks and remove the leaves from 6 sprigs of fresh sage, then cook the potatoes and sage stems in a large pot of boiling salted water until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. While the potatoes cook, mince the fresh sage leaves.

2. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot, mash them coarsely, and set aside. Add the boiled sage stems and minced leaves to a medium saucepan along with 2 cups half-and-half, 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, and 8 cloves minced garlic and heat the mixture over medium heat just until it begins to boil; immediately remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

3. Strain the mixture, pour it into the pot containing the mashed potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir until smooth.

4. Before serving, garnish the mashed potatoes with more chopped fresh sage leaves to add an herbal kick.