The Marriage of the Sweet Potato and Red Skin Potato

Tonight's dinner was Chicken and Potatoes with a side of broccoli.  I know I have cautioned you about potatoes, and have given you alternatives to the starchy ball, but every so often it's not all that bad.  And, if you're feeling adventurous, you can blend many healthy ingredients into mashed potatoes and get the best of both worlds.

This evening, I made chicken by cutting two chicken breasts in half and filleting them so that they became thin and flat.  I breaded them with a mixture of flour, corn meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and dill.  To make the batter stick, I used an egg and milk mixture and I double battered them- a procedure I describe in an earlier post.  When they were done, I placed them on a wire rack and put them in an oven at 250 degrees until I was done cooking everything else (just keeps everything hot for the final plating).

I just so happened to have two small red skinned potatoes and 1 large sweet potato.  I peeled and diced the sweet potato and just diced the red skinned potatoes, put them in a pot of water and boiled them until ready to mash.  Added kosher salt and pepper to taste, along with a tablespoon of butter and some milk to make it creamy.  Then I used a masher and took out the day's aggression until it was smooth and creamy, with a few lumps.

The first thing you notice with this potato blend is that the sweet potato gives it a sweet flavor that you don't get from just the potato.  The red skinned potatoes give the mixture that creamy texture and savory taste.  Not too sweet, just right.  It's a match made in heaven :-)

What's cool about potatoes is that you can blend in it just about anything to give it more nutrition (just don't forget all that starchiness, so don't go too crazy).  You can blend mashed cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mashed turnip, etc.  And if you are trying to get away from your addiction to the starch, this is a great way to slowly wean yourself.  By adding a little more of the healthier stuff each time until you start eating only the healthy food as your side.

I hope this gives you some encouragement and good ideas.  Have a blessed day!