Name: Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Leeks and Chives
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 bay leaf; Table salt; 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (6 tablespoons, melted and cooled); 1 medium leek , white and light green parts, rinsed well, quartered, and cut into 1/4-inch slices; 2/3 cup buttermilk , at room temperature; 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives; Ground black pepper

Why This Recipe Works

Many buttermilk mashed potatoes recipes remove so much butter that the potatoes taste lean and lack creaminess, and suffer from curdling because of a simple substitution of buttermilk for cream. We restored just enough butter to make our potatoes creamy. Then we determined that we could prevent curdling by adding the melted butter to room-temperature buttermilk, coating the proteins in the buttermilk and thus protecting them from heat shock when added to the hot potatoes.

Before You Begin

To achieve the proper texture, it important to cook the potatoes thoroughly; they are done if they break apart when a knife is inserted and gently wiggled. Buttermilk substitutes like clabbered milk do not produce sufficiently tangy potatoes. To reduce the chances of curdling, the buttermilk must be brought to room temperature and mixed with cooled melted butter.

Instructions

Place potatoes and bay leaf in large saucepan, add cold water to cover by 1 inch and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes break apart when paring knife is inserted, about 18 minutes. Drain potatoes, discard bay leaf, and return potatoes to saucepan set on still-hot burner.

While potatoes are cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and wilted, about 8 minutes.

Using potato masher, mash potatoes until a few small lumps remain. Gently add 6 tablespoons melted butter and buttermilk to small bowl and mix until combined. Add butter-buttermilk mixture, leeks, and chives to potatoes; using rubber spatula, fold gently until just incorporated. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper; serve immediately.