Savory mashed carrots and potatoes

What can I make with carrots? Savory mashed carrots and potatoes with onions. This simple recipe will pleasantly surprise you!

WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH CARROTS? SAVORY MASHED CARROTS!

Take some carrots, peel them, cut them into thin slices and cook in a steamer (or just boil them). Then make mashed carrots using a potato masher, add salt, pepper, oil and quickly, while the puree is still warm, get dressed, put on some comfortable shoes (sneakers are best suited… leave your elegant high-heeled shoes for another occasion), take a steaming pot with cooked carrots, a balloon or a ribbon (any color will be good) and quickly go to the nearest forest.

Why hurry up? So that someone else (who came up with the same idea as you, didn’t arrive at the forest before you and spoil your whole idea!) Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing! It should be dark outside … if you carry a pot of savory mashed carrots to the forest in the morning or afternoon– then you will just walk so far in vain. But in the evening, when it’s dark outside and only the moon and the stars (well, some street lamp too) illuminate your way – that’s exactly what you need.

WHY SHOULD YOU GO TO THE FOREST IN THE EVENING WITH PUREED CARROTS, A RIBBON AND A BALLOON?

No, I haven’t drunk a lot of wine… and I haven’t eaten poisonous mushrooms… and I feel great… don’t think anything strange, just be patient – I’ll explain everything in detail.

So, you came to the forest and what’s next? Look for a tree stump and put the pot of carrots on it. If there is no tree stump, leave the pot just on the grass. That’s all … you can go home. Just don’t forget the place where you left the pureed carrots, because in the morning you will have to return to the same place. You can leave some kind of mark … for example, tie a balloon or a bow (using a ribbon) around a tree or (that’s why I told you to take them with you).

WHEN YOU GET HOME, GO TO BED RIGHT AWAY TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SLEEP…

… because in the morning you will have to get up somewhere at 4 or 5 a.m.  (depending on the time of year and how far away the forest is from you). You will need to return to the forest as soon as daylight begins and the first rays of the sun begin to heat the air. Look for the place where you left the pot with carrot mash in the evening, be guided by a bow or a balloon on a tree.

If you are lucky – there will be a huge bar of gold in the place where you left a pot of savory mashed carrots in the evening! Well, maybe not huge, but just big … or small – it all depends on how delicious were your carrots. In the worst case, you will find nothing but your pot with  carrot mash, which has already cooled and hardened during the night. Look at everything from a positive point of view – no gold? At least, nobody stole your pot! So you can take it back and cook different soups in it for many years!

THIS IS NOT SOME STRANGE MAGICAL RITE…

… ha-ha… I don’t belong to that group of people who believe in such things and do such nonsense. It’s just a German legend from the Middle Ages, by the way. According to it, savory mashed carrots is a favorite food of little dwarfs who live in the forest. They are so fond of carrots (especially the ones that are cooked in a steamer… apparently, they are very concerned about their health) that if someone brings them their favorite dish, they will thank them for it with gold.

True, so far there is no written evidence that someone actually received the gold, but hope is the last to die, right? I was thinking to myself, maybe the dwarfs would prefer potato and carrot mash? And what if the lack of potatoes in the dish is the reason that no one finds gold bars in gratitude …

I don’t know about the dwarfs, but at my house everyone simply adores mashed carrots and potatoes. For even greater success, I add fried leeks, a little grated cheese, butter and milk for tenderness, salt and ground black pepper to it.

MASHED CARROTS AND BLACK PEPPER… GENERALLY IT’S THE PERFECT DUET

 I am sure that they were created for each other: mashed carrots love black pepper –  it takes their flavor to a higher level. And this love is mutual, because black pepper, thanks to carrots, reveals its rich aroma in full. This potato and carrot mash is simply fabulous when paired with fish and meat dishes (especially meatballs!). Prepare some kind of vegetable salad and you don’t have to go to a restaurant.

Of course, your relatives and guests will not give you gold bars in gratitude for this puree (although who knows!). But the happy smiles on their faces when you cook this delicious side dish for them are worth much more than any precious metals!

INGREDIENTS:

• Leeks (can be replaced with a normal onion)
• Olive oil (or any other oil for frying)
• Potatoes (Russet, Idaho or Yukon potatoes will be perfect here)
• Carrots (choose bright orange carrots)
• Finely grated cheese (I usually use Parmesan)
• Milk
• Water
• Ground black pepper and salt
• Butter (at room temperature)

CARROT PUREE RECIPE

Peel potatoes and carrots and cut them into small pieces. Pour cold water so that it completely covers the vegetables. Add salt, cover and cook over medium heat until tender.

Chop leeks (or onions) and fry them in olive oil

When the vegetables are ready, drain the water and mash them into a puree. Add fried leeks, butter and grind everything with a blender (thanks to this, the consistency will turn out to be especially tender and velvety). Add grated cheese, milk and ground pepper (it will give the dish an interesting taste) and add salt to taste

The healthy, tasty and surprisingly bright savory mashed carrots are ready. It is perfect as a side dish for meat or fish. Bon appetit.