In yet another totally random, willy nilly, unprofessional, and arbitrary taste test of local takeout items, I present to you: mashed potatoes.
During February, I sampled mashed potatoes from Cromer's Market, Schiavoni's Market, Damark's Market, Red Horse Market, Loaves and Fishes Food Store, Citarella, Herb's Market, Simply Potatoes (from the grocery store), and good ol' homemade. The early 2022 prices ranged from $3.99 per pound to $18 per pound.
Let's face it, homemade mashed potatoes are one of the most delicious additions to a meal, but they are a lot of work and are time consuming to prepare. You gotta buy 'em, scrub 'em, peel 'em, cut 'em up, cook 'em, mash them, then season them. But there is nothing better with a slice of meatloaf, a little filet mignon with a mushroom shallot sauce, or fried flounder.
Are you a lumpy mashed potatoes fan, or do you like them smooth and silky? Do you prefer dry, floury Idaho russets, or waxy red or Yukon Golds? Skin on or off? Do you add gobs of butter and milk or cream a la the late great French chef Joel Robuchon?
Monsieur Robuchon's iconic recipe calls for two pounds of potatoes with up to a pound of butter and one and one half cups of milk. Ooh-la-la! Another great French chef, Daniel Boulud, once said "every chef is remembered for a few dishes, even if he creates thousands of them." Puree de pommes de terre was certainly one of Joel Robuchon's.
Potato prices at the grocery store run approximately from $1.99 to $7.99 per pound, depending on the variety. After adding about 25 to 75 cents worth more of ingredients, you have some fine homemade mashed potatoes. But the time, the mess! Pre-made to the rescue.
As the tasting and testing process progressed, I tried to figure out how to take photos of these many white purees. First I tried lining up some of the mashed potatoes side by side in a rectangular gratin dish, hoping the observer could see the different textures and colors. It ended up looking like someone had exhumed the graves of Casper the Friendly Ghost, the Michelin Man, and the Pillsbury Doughboy. Rather unfortunate.
The Citarella mashed potatoes stood out in stark contrast to all of the others, startlingly white, like celebrity teeth.
Then I assembled the potatoes another way, and convinced myself that the variations were akin to an Agnes Martin painting. One could say the same thing about mashed potatoes as has been said about Ms. Martin's paintings: "They often question whether white is an absence or presence of color," and "texture and unevenness create a delicacy to the surface," "robust," "delicate." Now let's get down to business, I think you may be surprised by the results.
Citarella's mashed potatoes come chunky style or smooth puree, cost $8.99 per pound, and the label says "handcrafted." But as one unnamed local chef scoffed "they're made in the Bronx! We make ours fresh every day!" I already said they are abnormally bright white. They are also very thin and loose and bland. If you get these, be prepared to have to enhance the flavor at home.
Supermarket Simply Potatoes at $5.99 for one and one half pounds are pretty bad. The texture is there but potato flavor is lacking. Also, the label claims "made with real butter and milk" but the next ingredient is margarine, followed by a lot of chemical additions.
Mashed potatoes from Damark's Market in East Hampton are $6.99 per pound. They were a little bit lumpy in a good way and had nice flavor. These were probably made with floury russet potatoes.
Schiavoni's Market's ($5.99 per pound) were quite good, had a homemade fresh taste, were not too rich, and had visible flecks of black pepper.
Loaves and Fishes Food Store's mashed potatoes were the priciest at $18 per pound and are made with cream and butter. These were refined and white and fluffy.
Those from Herb's Market ($7 per pound) had a slightly beige-brown tint to them and were good and salty.
Cromer's Market had the least expensive mashed potatoes at $3.99 per pound. These were very good -- fluffy and lightly seasoned. The nice gentleman behind the counter proudly proclaimed, "they're homemade!"
Red Horse Market's are $4.99 per pound and to my subjective taste buds were the best. They are made with Yukon Gold potatoes, skins left on and mixed with a little bit of garlic, butter, and sour cream, according to the executive chef Joseph Genna. They are made fresh daily and are usually available by 11 a.m. I know this because I am a spud junkie and call them in advance.
Potatoes are a healthy complex carbohydrate. Red potatoes have the most vitamins. If you like fluffy, mealy mashed potatoes, then russets (also called Idaho if they're from Idaho) are your best bet. Red and Yukon Gold potatoes are more waxy and make a fine mash as well. Yukon Golds are my favorite. I peel them, boil them in well salted water with a few halved cloves of garlic, drain, and then mash with butter and milk and plenty of salt and pepper.
If you buy any pre-made mashed potatoes you can bump up the flavor with wasabi paste (excellent alongside fish), Cajun or Creole seasoning, Goya Adobo, horseradish, miso butter, fresh herbs . . . the possibilities are endless.
In Southern France you may come across mashed potatoes made with olive oil or tapenade, these are delicious! Last night I made Yukon Gold mashed potatoes with nothing more than a very generous amount of green, fruity Settembrino di Sicilia olive oil from Il Buco's market in Amagansett. They were a revelation!
Just be cautious when reheating so the oil doesn't break down and lose its delicate flavor.
So there you have it, locally made, inexpensive mashed potatoes are available all around us, from delicate to robust, in all shades of white, just like an Agnes Martin work of art.
