When I was growing up, there was an ad on telly for a product called Smash. In the ad, some aliens sit around laughing about how primitive we Earth people are because we actually peel whole potatoes, boil them and purée them when we want to eat mashed potatoes, whereas they use a ready-made mash, called Smash. "For mash, get Smash" was the little jingle. I would sooner fly to the moon than use a ready-made mashed potato mix. Mashed potatoes are, to me, a sacred dish - one of those things that you just can't cut corners with, and really, what corners do you want to cut? It's hardly difficult.
Having said that, while good, or even great, mash is easy to make, so is bad mash. If the potatoes are too watery or too lumpy, the mash will be ruined. Some people refuse to touch the stuff because they've had a bad mash experience. This week's recipe will ensure that never happens in your home.
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Unlike some of the dishes I tout here, mash is one of those foods that's best when it's simple. What's not to like about cream, spuds and a bit of elbow grease? If you feel you are too sophisticated for this humble delight, add something to it. Truffle oil, for example, or Parmesan, or olives, or some fresh rocket - whatever you like. Just don't add anything if you're cooking mash for my goddaughter Olivia, who lives in Abu Dhabi. Mash is by far her favourite food; she piles her plate with as much as she can fit on it, and then comes back for seconds and thirds. She would be furious if you tried to mess with the original recipe. In fact I even leave the chives out for her; remember what I said about children and green things?
Of course, as well as eating mash on its own, you can use it for all sorts of pies, such as fish pie and shepherd's pie (another one of my goddaughter's favourites). As with your stand-alone mash, the key is to make sure all the water has drained from the boiled spuds by letting them sit for a few minutes in a colander.
Happy mashing, and don't let those aliens tempt you with their cheap imitations. Think of those happy faces around the table.
Make it yourself
Mashed potatoes with double cream and chives
INGREDIENTS
8 large Russet potatoes
250g unsalted butter, softened
200ml double cream, warmed
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 bunch chives, minced
METHOD
1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into evenly sized pieces and place in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer just until tender. Overcooking the potatoes will result in a watery mash.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander ensuring all the water is removed.
3. While the potatoes are still warm, pass them through a fine wire tamis or drum sieve. (A potato masher will work as well but will not yield a silky smooth mash.) This process needs to be done quickly, before the potatoes cool and stiffen.
4. Return the potato purée to a clean pan, slowly fold in the softened butter, then add the warm cream. Add only enough of the cream to reach the consistency of mash you desire, reserving some for the next step. Season with salt and pepper.
5. To serve, place the mash into serving bowls, make a well in the top of the potatoes and pour in a little of the warm cream and sprinkle with fresh chives.
SERVES 8
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The%20Kitchen
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.