One Pot Short

A few weeks back it was a cold, dreary Sunday and comfort food was on our menu. Comfort food in the form of Beef and Noodles. And in our house, if those are on our table, there is a big bowl of mashed potatoes right next to them! It's the only way we eat them....no exceptions! So as I ventured into the kitchen, taking the ingredients out of the cupboards, beginning my prep work I remembered one very important detail since the last time I made this meal. One of the two big stock pots I had was scorched, ruined and now resides in a garbage dump somewhere. So I had one pot to prepare the beef and noodles in, but what was I going to do about the potatoes? I could borrow one from my friend 3 doors down, I could drive the 20 minutes to my mom's house and borrow hers, I could head to the Walmart down the street and buy a new one...but to be quite frank, none of those sounded like good options. Why? I don't know if you are grasping just how cold it was this day, (Okay, on the scale of cold, it wasn't freezing, but after a week of 60s and one 80 degree day, 43 felt like the arctic tundra!) and I simply did not want to leave the house. So after the 60 seconds it took me to determine what ever solution I was going to come up it needed to be something "in house", it finally came to be. My Crock-Pot! Of course! Put the potatoes in some water, cook them all day. And then continue as planned. Why not? All I needed was to achieve the same goal as boiling them. Lucky for me, it worked perfectly! I am so glad to have this little tip in my back pocket! How easy when you are cooking a huge meal, or when you have company! Especially since after they are mashed, you can put them back in the slow cooker to keep warm throughout the whole evening. I knew there were more reasons to love my Crock-Pot, and I'm so happy I discovered this one. Because I'm telling you right now, beef and noodles with no mashed potatoes would mean riots at my house!

Crock-Pot Mashed Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Water

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, room temperature

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place potatoes in Crock Pot. Add just enough water to cover. Set on HIGH and cook 4-5 hours until fork tender. Drain. Place in a large mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher. Add butter and milk. Using an electric mixer, whip until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Stir to combine. If placing back in Crock-Pot to keep warm, turn heat to LOW and stir occasionally. Garnish with extra butter and pepper if desired.

Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Oct. 25, 2012
Shared on The Country Cook Oct. 26, 2012