Mashed Potatoes with Carrots

About Mashed Potatoes with Carrots

When it comes to comfort foods, few can beat that perennial American favorite, mashed potatoes. But it’s easy to put a more healthful spin on the old spud by adding colorful carrots to the mix. This is a recipe served at Paul Ryan’s house when he’s not watching his carb intake.

Mashed Potatoes with Carrots (about eight servings)

4 russet or eight red-skinned potatoes

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

¼ cup diced, sautéed onion

¼ cup warm milk (low fat)

¼ cup unsalted softened butter

¼ cup low fat cream cheese (softened, at room temperature)

Salt and finely ground pepper to taste

1 tsp or more of finely chopped parsley

Optional

Ground nutmeg to sprinkle on top

It’s real simple. Boil the potatoes and carrots together for about 15 minutes. (Don’t over-boil them because the consistency becomes too pasty.) You can leave the potato peels on if you like but we think this works better with red potatoes than with russets.

Drain the potatoes. Put into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Add the sautéed onion, warm milk, unsalted butter, cream cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Mash with a fork, electric mixer or hand blender, or use one of those old-fashioned potato mashers (also called a “ricer”).

In our house we go easy on the salt and heavier on the carrots, adding a couple more to the mix. This recipe is good with any kind of potato, but we prefer red-skinned and leave the peels on. You can also add a clove of roasted, crushed garlic to the potatoes when you’re mashing.

Tip: In order to blend the flavors together more thoroughly, put the bowl (make sure it’s oven-safe) into a 300-degree oven for ten to fifteen minutes.

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Mashed Potatoes with Carrots