Santa Baby (Part III)

Ingredients for Red Mash

• 6 small-medium boiler potatoes, peeled
• 1 small beet, peeled, trimmed, and thinly sliced
• 1/2 milk, plus 1/2 cup, plus more if desired to thin out potatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper

Ingredients for Green Mash

• 6 small-medium boiler potatoes, peeled
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chervil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• 1/4 cup milk, plus more if desired to thin out potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt and pepper

Procedure for the Red and the Green Mash

Put all 12 potatoes in a stock pot, just cover with cold water, and cover the pot with a lid. Bring the water to a boil, season with salt, and cook until the potatoes are tender—about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, simmer the beet slices in 1/2 cup of milk until the beet is just tender—about 15 minutes. You’ll want to heat the milk on medium until it simmers, and then lower the heat to low for the rest of the cooking process.

Next, begin work on the Green Mash. Place the chervil, parsley, chives, and tarragon with salt and pepper and crème fraîche in a small food processor and blend until completely smooth and green.

When the beet has finished cooking, add the beet and the milk that it cooked in, along with another 1/2 cup of warm milk, into a small food processor, and blend until smooth.

Using a ricer, mash 6 potatoes into one large bowl, and 6 potatoes into another large bowl.

For the Green mash, add 1/4 cup of hot milk, 1 tablespoon of butter, and the herbed crème fraîche to one bowl of potatoes. Mix until thoroughly combined.

For the Red Mash, add the beet mixture, the goat cheese, and the butter, and mix until thoroughly combined.

At this point, season both mashes separately, and assess the consistency of the potatoes. For a thinner mash, add more milk, a little a time, until you are satisfied. The original recipe makes very potato-y mash.