Rustic Potato Leek Mash, buttery, silky, smooth puree of potatoes, with a mix of sauteed leeks blended in, giving this recipe such flavors, bringing new meaning to budgeting and comfort food.
Rustic Potato Leek Mash, a great side dish to those family style dinners. This recipe brings in rustic feels with the comfort of mashed potatoes that has graced tables for centuries, and to this day is one of my favorite comfort foods in our repertoire, with its starchy, rich, buttery, smooth texture that makes you want another, then another spoonful.
I don't know about anybody else, but I believe mashed potatoes are a favorite among many people. Well maybe not the Paleo diet people, but that's alright, more for us to enjoy! Whether gracing the table next to a roast, or at Christmas dinner with a roasted turkey, or the side of a vegetarian meal, this rustic potato leek mash has such a rich flavor and texture, that there will be no need to drown it in gravy.
One thing that I love about this dish is that it is so economical, and the numbers it can feed is substantial. I remember being a student and money was pretty tight with not a lot of time to work and make money. Recipes included mac and cheese with variations of tuna, hot dogs, and even Asian spiced mac and cheese. When things were really tight, one of my favorite meals was just potatoes boiled then mashed and whipped with butter and milk. Smooth enough but not runny. I would use the leftover -if there was any- and bake it in the oven with some parmigiano, and bread crumbs, or the next morning making potato pancakes, fried, giving you a nice crispy crust and a smooth rich inside. Think about it a 10 lb bag of potatoes cost about 5-6 dollars and that would have lasted me a week when in school, very dollar savvy, for the budget wise student life.
Easy, Breezy, Rustic Potato Leek Mash!
This recipe is the epitome of quick and easy. In just about 20 minutes you have a dish that could accompany a variety of different dishes, but substantial enough to star as a main. We purchased the potatoes and leeks from the Strathcona Farmers Market, where we always feel ensured that we are buying great quality produce, that is both fresh and great tasting. The vendor for this produce of leeks and new potatoes was August Organics, located in the far southeast corner of the market.
In a pot of salted water we boiled the potatoes that where peeled and washed. While the potatoes where boiling, Nicoletta cleaned and sliced the leeks, then sauteed them with some butter, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, until soft and caramelized.
When the potatoes were fork tender we drained them and added some butter and milk and mashed them till nice and smooth, tasting to see if seasoning was needed. In went the sauteed leeks and a quick stir, a pat of butter on top, and this recipe was done.
I love the pools of butter and leek that find its way into the crevices of this dish. Talk about craving something, just the aroma alone has me hooked. The first spoonful gives us the delightfulness of this rustic dish. The potatoes starchy and creamy with that subtle earthiness. The butter and milk giving the potato some richness and moistness. The leeks offering subtle sweetness and soft succulent texture that is so enhanced by the butter, and hits of sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, thyme and oregano. Each mouthful deliberately lingering on your tongue as you marvel at the flavor of this Rustic Potato Leek Mash.
Whether you are a student on a budget, or just a person wanting to delight your family and friends with great comforting food, this Rustic Potato Leek Mash is a great dish that has all the right flavors to be a great paring to other great dishes, or even to be a dish on its own. Being both economically wise and delicious makes it all the more appealing. We served ours with a beautifully grilled portobello mushroom. Its texture and flavor, robust and meaty, was a perfect match to the texture and taste of this recipe.
Enjoy!
Song of the day: "Ophelia", by The Lumineers.
P.S. The next day we made a wonderful breakfast jar of Coddled Egg on Whipped Potato Leek Puree, using the leftover mash, it was amazing! Stay tuned for the recipe and pictures, coming soon to our blog!
PrintRustic Potato Leek Mash
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 leeks (white and light green parts), thoroughly rinsed and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup milk, warmed
Instructions
- Put the potatoes in a large saucepan filled with salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender (but not falling apart).
- Clean and slice the leeks.
- Melt half of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, thyme and oregano. Cook, stirring often, until leeks soften. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Drain the potatoes, add the rest of the butter and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk and mashing until creamy (adding more milk if necessary).
- Stir in the cooked leeks and adjust with salt,and pepper.
- Transfer the rustic potato and leek mash to a bowl.
- Top with a pat of butter before serving.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 6 side servings
Another great and delicious dish featuring potatoes is this POTATO AND SPINACH GATEAU (GATTÒ DI PATATE)
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When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Wanda says
When I see how delicious this looks I realize we clearly do not eat mashed potatoes enough! Bookmarking this one!
Hello from Bakersbeans.ca!
Thank you Wanda, It is true, maybe a good thing too, too much of a good thing is a dangerous thing so they say, but this dish was truly delicious and could have it frequently I do make a rustic potato mash with caramelized onions and roasted garlic, with just a bit of sour cream and butter. Yum! Thank you for your comment
\Cheers
Loreto
Maresa | Breakfast for Dinner says
Leeks are absolutely my fav veggie right now - never would have thought to put them in mashed potatoes! I'll be trying this recipe this weekend.
Hi Maresa, this is the greatest part of the food blog network. Inspiration. I hope you enjoy the mash with leeks, for us it was so delicious and the breakfast the day after with us using the mash for a breakfast jar and a coddled egg. The recipe and post will be coming soon.
Thanks a bunch for the comment
Cheers
loreto
karrie @ Tasty Ever After says
This is the kind of dish I could eat every day Loreto! There's nothing better than leeks and potatoes, unless you combine them together into one delicious side dish. My weekly veggie CSA doesn't have any more leeks but I'm running to the grocery this weekend to pick some up because I have a pot roast planned for Sunday night dinner and this will be perfect with it. Thanks for sharing and happy weekend to you both, my friends 🙂
Thank you Karrie, That sounds like a perfect dinner and I know this Potato leek mash will compliment that pot roast oh so well. I love the flavor of the leek and potatoes together nice texture great flavor! Have a wonderful dinner and weekend.
Cheers
Loreto
Amanda says
Yum! This is very much like a Dutch dish called stamppot or in English, mash-up. Instead of leeks, they use sauerkraut, kale or just about any vegetable. It is often served with schnitzel or real German sausages. I never thought of leeks, nor of serving with pot roast. I'm inspired, The weather is perfect for this warm, comforting dish.
Hi Amanda, thank you. This is the great part about food. In a lot of ways it brings culture and traditions together and the best part celebrations with food. I love hearing about the different types of food. We made a wonderful coddled egg in a mason jar and the base the soft poached egg sat on was the leftover mash, so yummy.
Have a great day!
Loreto
Erin says
Love this combination!
Hi Erin, thank you, we loved it too and the left overs went to a coddle eggs and potato leek puree breakfast jar which is now featured on our blog.
Cheers!
Loreto
Katrin says
Oh, mashed potatoes. Delicious comfort food! You can never have too much butter in them.... I love the idea of adding leeks to mash, but as leek and potato soup tastes awesome, leek and potato soup must be even better. Because of the butter!!
Hi Katrin
The addition of the sauteed leeks elevates the mashed potatoes to such a delicious level, and yes butter makes it so much better.
Have a great day
Cheers!
Loreto
Taylor @ The Girl on Bloor says
This looks so delicious! I seriously need more mashed potato inspiration this year - I get so sick of the plain old ones!
Hi Taylor, we are here to inspire and we also have a beautiful Coddled egg with potato leek mash breakfast jar that is amazing. Take a look, and thank you for commenting, will post more diverse mashed potato recipes in the near future.
Have a good week
Loreto