Healthy mashed potatoes

Mashed potato is a regular at most family dinner table’s because they are so likeable and easy.

History and Facts about Potatoes

The potato derived from the Andes mountain range in South America. They can be developed at high altitudes dissimilar to many additional crops. The Irish immigrants who established themselves in New England brought them to America in the early eighteenth century. Even after this, the potato was only farmed in the nineteenth century. The potato belongs to a group including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and tomatillos called the nightshade family. The potato is a great resource of nutrition and they also have plenty of Vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. However, most people tend to ruin the goodness by using too much butter or too much salt or cheese.

Ingredients and Preparation Tips for Potatoes

The potato should not be discolored or too firm to the touch. You can use any type of potato for consumption. You need to be careful when you are peeling a potato as you do not want to peel it too close to its skin as that is where the majority of the nutrients are like vitamins and minerals. You can use the aid of a fork to test how soft the potato is. Instead of using butter you should use a low fat soured cream. You can also find and use a low fat cheese which needs to be firm to the touch and without mold. You should shred the cheese and then mash it in with the potato. You can use some condiments such as black pepper and herbs to add a little extra flavor.

Light Mashed Potatoes

You will need four potatoes, medium in size, washed, scrubbed clean and peeled. You will also need two cups of light sour cream, one cup of low fat cheese such as cheddar, American, or Monterey Jack cheese, and it can be shredded or grated. You also need to use a quarter a tea spoon of black pepper, a third of a tea spoon of garlic powder, this is optional however, a quarter of a tea spoon of herbs like basil or even sage and this is also optional and lastly you will need boiling water. You should peel the potato and use a fork to prick them so as to allow the steam created from the boiling water to break out more easily. Now, you can boil the potatoes and also grate the cheese and mix with the sour cream in a bowl. Remove the potatoes and mash them and then add the sour cream mixture.