Carrot Puree (Mashed Carrots)

As promised, here is the recipe for carrot purée that I served with my tapenade chicken the other day. I flavored the dish with rosemary, mustard, cumin and almond butter. The almond butter both thickens the purée and provides a nutty flavor.

It's a lighter, healthier version of the creamy mashed potatoes we served for Thanksgiving. Sweet potatoes and carrots are a great source of vitamin A and potassium. But don't get me wrong, healthier doesn't mean less flavorful. If you've read my many of my past recipes, you know that I'm not shy about using full fat ingredients. In this particular dish, I just don't think it's necessary to get that unctuous, creamy mouth-feel. Using the cooking techniques in the recipe, you'll be able to convince even the most anti-health food person in your life that the dish is loaded with heavy cream and butter.

Sweet Mashed Potatoes with Maple Syrup Roasted Bananas

I make sweet mashed potatoes whenever the girls get bored with regular old mashed potatoes. It's a great alternative. The mild sweetness contrasts well with many savory main courses, especially fish.

I was steaming sweet potatoes for dinner today, while our little munchkin was eating a roasted banana I had just made for her. Roasted bananas are one of my childhood favorite desserts and I make them for the girls whenever they want a snack. 

"Jackie, what are you making?" she asked, while scooping the soft banana. 

"I'm making sweet potato purée for dinner."

"Can I help?"

"Of course, mon p'tit coeur (my sweetheart)" I said.

I let her pass the sweet potatoes through the food mill. She tasted it and asked "Can we add some of the roasted bananas to the sweet potatoes?" Isn't my little 5-year-old sister-in-law a culinary genius? We roasted the bananas with maple syrup to enhance the sweetness a bit. I added mustard and nutmeg to keep the dish savory, but the real credit goes to my munchkin.

Fluffy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

When Lulu and I first got married, we invited Lulu's uncle and his family over for dinner. I made grilled steaks and pommes mousseline (mashed potatoes in French). Five years later they still talk about the meal, so here is the recipe for my garlic mashed potatoes just in time for Thanksgiving.

The secret to incredibly fluffy mashed potatoes is to use a combination of heavy cream, crème fraîche and butter. I know, it's not the healthiest mashed potato recipe, but once you try it, you'll never want to go back. For added flavor, I roasted a head of garlic and squeezed the contents into the dish, along with chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Try to resist. I dare you!

Vegetarian Gravy for Thanksgiving

I personally love homemade turkey gravy with all the caramelized bits and drippings of the roasted turkey, so I was a bit skeptical when Lulu asked me to try his vegetarian miso gravy recipe. I couldn't believe that it would have the complexity of flavors that are present in traditional giblet gravy, but to my surprise, it was absolutely delicious. 

Miso is fermented soy bean paste, and it imparts a strong, earthy flavor to the gravy. For additional flavor I added fried onions and chili flakes. Butter and a touch of heavy cream created a rich texture.

Even if you don't have a gaggle of vegetarians in your house as I do, it's worth trying out this recipe.

Duchess Potatoes (Pommes Duchesse)

The name may sound fancy, but pomme duchesse are simply baked mashed potato balls. As a kid, I think it was my favorite side dish. It's crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and just oozes potato-ey goodness. 

Not only is it a perfect dish for formal events, but it dresses down as well. Halloween is on its way, and the girls and I have been planning to make some edible ghosts for a Halloween party the girls are attending. Mashed potatoes seemed like the obvious choice. Since I had some pommes duchesse mixture on hand, we decided to test our decorating skills today. I piped the pommes duchesse mixture into several cones. The girls added eyes by using mustard seeds and cumin seeds for the eyebrows. The result is ghoulishly delicious. Sorry, I couldn't resist!