A spicy kick in a comfort food? Guy Fieri has whipped
up some strange stuff in his career as a TV chef,
but this one is just bizarre. You'll never guess what Guy Fieri uses in his mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes are one of those dishes that seem so simple, but there are endless variations,
and every cook has their preferred hacks and secret ingredients to level up the final product.
The basics of mashed potatoes are just that: basic. You'll want to use the right kind of
potatoes, salt the water, and put the potatoes in cold water before bringing it up to boil.
When they're cooked, mash them. But there are some recipes that go beyond just potatoes,
milk or cream, butter, and salt. Many people relish using extra ingredients
like roasted garlic, cheeses, fresh herbs, bacon, and much more.
Television personality and restaurateur Guy Fieri,
who is known for his bold flavors and even more over-the-top presentation style,
has a unique ingredient that he likes to add to his mashed potatoes: Wasabi powder.
Yes, it sounds crazy, but Fieri shared his mashed potato recipe with Food Network,
and while it also includes the usual suspects like heavy cream, butter, and salt and pepper,
it also features an entire head of garlic and a generous four teaspoons of wasabi powder.
Just remember to mix the wasabi powder with water to make it into a paste.
While it may seem a bit out of the box, several online reviews from people who tried
the concoction indicated that something about the combination of ingredients just works together.
A writer from Suggest gave the recipe a shot,
and said that the wasabi's kick was mellowed by the heavy cream and butter in the recipe,
allowing the secret ingredient to add spice and flavor without being too overpowering.
If wasabi isn't your thing, though, there are plenty of other options,
as every celebrity chef seems to have their own unique spin on mashed potatoes.
Bobby Flay, for example, swears by a particularly creamy mix-in — but
it's not the standard cream or milk. Instead,according to Food Network,
Flay levels up his mashed potatoes by adding in creme fraiche. Not only does the ingredient add
some creaminess, it also incorporates a bit of tangy flavor that Flay loves in the dish.
Another celebrity turned chef, rapper Snoop Dogg,
relishes the combination of creaminess and tang with his mashed potato mix-in of choice,
which he shared in his cookbook "From Crook to Cook." Besides heavy cream,
Snoop also adds in mayonnaise for a mashed potato dish that delivers on both flavor and calories.
Actor and foodie Stanley Tucci also has a hack for the classic comfort food — with an Italian twist,
of course. According to the New Haven Register, Tucci shuns milk or cream in mashed potatoes,
instead adding richness with olive oil.
And celebrity Hobbit chef Samwise Gamgee enjoys his mashed potatoes with a brace of coneys.
"Po-tay-toes! Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew!"
Taking the grand prize for ingenuity though, is Nigella Lawson, who truly
thinks way outside the box by making her mashed potatoes without any potatoes!
"I'm going to do my mock mash. I am aware that the
notion of mock mash sounds hideous. This is fabulous."
Yes, it sounds crazy. But there are actually some good reasons for it. For instance,
what if you don't have any potatoes? Or maybe you just don't have the time to make mashed potatoes,
as they can take a while, what with all the peeling and boiling before
you can even get to the mashing part. Either way,
Lawson has you covered with a quick recipe for a carb-packed, comforting side dish
that shares many similarities with the classic mashed potatoes, except without the potatoes.
Her "mock mash" recipe uses semolina as the base rather than potatoes,
which she cooks in boiling milk until the grain is thickened. The recipe incorporates plenty
of flavor with additions like butter, nutmeg, and parmesan, and takes just minutes to make.
And semolina is just one potential potato substitute.
If you're in the mood for something a bit healthier, Meal Prep on Fleek
explains that you can transform a ton of different vegetables into a "mock mash,"
including cauliflower, turnips, parsnips, and rutabaga, to name just a few.
There's a world of food out there just waiting to get mashed. So what are you waiting for?
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