The other night at our dinner table the conversation turned to next week’s Thanksgiving Dinner menu. We always celebrate Thanksgiving with a few of our close friends and we divvy up the dishes between ourselves. The conversation went something like this:
My Husband: So tell me again what’s on the menu?
Me: I am making pumpkin soup, roasting a chicken, and making apple pie. And then there is going to be one more roast chicken, a couple of vegetable dishes, a salad, etc etc. by the others.
My son: Mashed potatoes! We are having mashed potatoes right? We gotta have that!
My daughter: I don’t like mashed potatoes.
My son and me both looking shocked and in unison: What? How is that possible? How can anyone not like mashed potatoes! Ruch, what’s wrong with you???
Ruchi just shrugged her shoulders in her newly acquired 11 yr old, ‘almost teenage’ like attitude.
My son and I continued staring at her and at each other shaking our heads in disbelief. My husband didn’t have an opinion in either direction so he continued eating. But I think at that very instant, my son and I somehow bonded a bit more close to each other than we already were, sharing our love for mashed potatoes and expressing disgust and shock at anyone who were not in the ‘mashed potatoes camp’ like us!
Finally I assured my son that yes, someone was bringing mashed potatoes. He gave a sigh of relief!
But this conversation reminded me to add mashed potatoes to my list too since that way I could make a version that I could eat – one that was dairy free. That is exactly the reason why I chose the 3 dishes I did for myself. Since that way I could make sure I would be able to eat an entire 3 course meal. That’s a trick I have been doing since the past two years ever since I started with my new Paleo lifestyle. For all our social gatherings, I volunteer making 2-3 dishes and I always make those in accordance with my diet. That way I can always be sure that I won’t go hungry! Plus its also a chance to introduce others to my healthy recipes which in most cases everyone ends up enjoying. So that’s a win-win for everyone!
Speaking of mashed potatoes, potatoes aren’t paleo. However, I love potatoes and so every now and then I indulge myself. Thankfully, unlike some other non-paleo foods, potatoes don’t seem to bring out a reaction in me and so I don’t feel too guilty when I eat them. However, dairy is not something that I can tolerate and so going back to my Indian roots, this mashed potato is inspired by ‘potato masala’ or ‘Aloo ki sabzi’ where boiled potatoes are mashed and then sautéed with mustard seeds, cumin, onion, ginger, green chillies, turmeric and fresh curry and cilantro leaves. I have tried this recipe with yuca and ‘taro root’ too and it came out equally good! To make it a little more creamy and to give it some ‘richness’, I sometimes add some coconut milk too. But that is not needed.
So this is what I will be bringing for myself. I guess I better plan to make extra because I have a feeling that others would wanna taste this 🙂
Sharing this at the AIP recipe Roundtable this week hosted by Phoenix Helix.
- 4 medium size potatoes or 2 cups mashed yuca or mashed taro root (Use Yuca or taro for Paleo/AIP version - see notes for tips)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds (omit for AIP)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (omit for AIP)
- 1 medium red onion, chopped fine
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 serrano chillies, chopped fine (optional, skip for AIP)
- 5-6 fresh curry leaves
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
- ¼ cup coconut milk (optional)
- If using potatoes, boil the potatoes in a pot with lots of water until cooked throughly. Let cool and peel them. Mash using a masher and keep aside.
- If using yuca, peel it, cut into pieces and place in a large pot of water adding some salt and boil for about 10 mins or until cooked. (If using frozen yuca, cook for about 30 mins until soft and cooked all the way through) Drain all the water and mash using a masher and keep aside.
- In a wok style pan or a skillet, heat the coconut oil. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to splutter, turn heat to low and add the cumin. As the cumin starts to brown, add the chopped onions and saute for about 2-3 mins.
- Add the ginger, green chillies (if adding) and fresh curry leaves. Saute for another min.
- Then add the turmeric and sea salt. Stir fry for another minute and then add the mashed potato or yuca along with the cilantro and the coconut milk (if adding) and stir well to mix the onion and spices well into it. Turn heat off.
