Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Basil Potato Puree


You know those recipes you absolutely fall in love with?  The ones that surprise and delight? This is one of them!  Ina's recipe for Basil Potato Puree captivated me from the moment I saw the gorgeous green puree in her book.  

This is a side dish that completely steals the show with it's palate pleasing flavors.  The hints of basil, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper make this puree quite complex.  It's the kind of thing you keep going back for.  In fact, it's so pleasing you'll be trying to figure out what else you can serve it with and how often you can put it on your table.

Ina begins the recipe by blanching basil leaves, both to soften the leaves and retain their gorgeous green color.  She then warms a mixture of half & half and Parmesan cheese on the stove top until the cheese melts into the cream.  The blanched basil leaves are placed in a blender, along with the warmed cream and cheese mixture and blended to make a lovely green cream mixture for the potatoes.  Once the potatoes are cooked through, the basil cream is added and the whole thing is mixed with a handheld mixer right in the pan.  The result is a glorious side dish that steals the show. I highly recommend this side dish, especially if you have loads of basil in your garden!  Be sure to follow the recipe exactly as written, the measurements are absolutely perfect, right down to the addition of the salt and pepper.

Basil Potato Puree
Adapted from How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten
Serves 6
2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 pounds large Yukon Gold or white boiling potatoes
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Add the basil leaves to the boiling water and cook for exactly 15 seconds. Remove the basil with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge the leaves into the ice water to set the bright green color. Drain and set aside.

Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. Add the potatoes to the same pot of boiling water and return to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, return to the saucepan, and steam over low heat until any remaining water evaporates.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the half-and-half and Parmesan cheese until the cream simmers. Place the basil in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. Add the hot cream mixture and process until smooth.

With a handheld mixer with the beater attachment, beat the hot potatoes in the pot until they are broken up. Slowly add the hot basil cream, the salt, and pepper and beat until smooth. If the potatoes need to be reheated, cover and cook gently over low heat for a few minutes. Pour into a serving bowl, sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese, season to taste, and serve hot.


I am submitting this to my friend Roz @ La Bella Vita for her Fresh Food Friday/Seasonal Saturday Event. 



23 comments:

  1. I'm sold! This sounds fantastic!!!
    *kisses* HH

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  2. This looks heavenly. I must have overlooked this recipe in her cookbook. Isn't it funny how you can miss things and when others bring them to your attention, you say to yourself "how did I miss that one?" Fabulous photos Kim.
    Sam

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  3. I've been eyeing a similar looking recipe for a while, but with your recommendation this version is definitely the one I'll try! We love basil!

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  4. I can't wait to make that Kim! I am LOVING that cookbook. I have so many recipes in it bookmarked. Great side dish!

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  5. I've made pesto mashed potatoes before (AMAZING) and these seem like essentially teh same idea...so I can attest to their awesomeness!

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  6. Wow. These are seriously sexy spuds. Wonderful!

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  7. Kim, this is something so new to me and a great way to use up more of my (tons of) basil in the garden. I've just got to get this cookbook of Ina's; she as become my new cooking goddess! Thanks for sharing this on Fresh Food Friday. I'll have the link up on Thursday for you.

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  8. I dont have this book yet! ;( This looks great!

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  9. oh my gosh, i just love these potatoes. the color, the flavors, i could eat this for dinner and nothing else!

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  10. I love anything with basil-this sounds awesome!!

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  11. Oh my goodness - I absolutely *love* mashed potatoes, and these look like a complete step up from any that I have ever tried before! I will have to give this a shot for the next holiday - maybe Thanksgiving?

    @}----Rosie

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  12. Wow! Delicious and beautiful dish! Great variation of mashed potatoes!

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  13. It's getting dangerous to come here. You know I'm going to make this. How can I not?

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  14. This is not something I would have ever thought of making, but after your rave review, I'm bookmarking it.

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  15. This sounds delsh. I must have missed that recipe in Ina's cookbook. Certainly will be trying it:)

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  16. Okay, it looks odd but it sounds excellent and I have fresh basil. I'll trust your word and give it a try!

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  17. Wow, looks good! Never had basil in mashed potato puree before, sounds good! Yup, I have some lovely basil in the garden that needs to be harvested!

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  18. Love the sound of this pesto! This is like a wonderful cheesy basil mashed potato recipe. I'll have to make it.

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  19. Every recipe that I have tried from Ina has been great. This looks and sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing it. I cannot wait to try it. Your description made me really wish I had not killed my basil plant by forgetting to water it...lol I will have to run out and buy some right away:)

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  20. I was revisiting this cookbook (I have all of Ina's collection), and I bookmarked this one. I have a LOT of basil. I'm so glad that you have given this such high ratings. Ina never disappoints me. So....what to serve with it? I'll have to dive back into that book. No doubt she has something good.

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  21. I saw this recipe but haven't tried it yet. Your picture and description make me want to go buy potatoes and raid my basil plants. ;-)

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  22. Yum! This sounds fantastic! Pinning this on Pinterest and plan on making it as soon as my basil grows back.

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  23. Hi Kim, I thought this basil potato puree is such an incredible and creative recipe, that I chose to feature it today on Fresh Food Friday/Seasonal Saturday. Thanks so much for choosing it to share! I hope that you're having a great weekend and if you have a chance, stop on by and check it out, grab the button if you like, and share a few more recipes....I have been reading all of them, just 'starring' them as favorites, cuz I need to catch up on my commenting! xoxo Roz

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