Mashed Potatoes
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
* 8 medium sized potatoes
* 6 tbsp. butter
* ¾ cup warm milk
* salt and black pepper to taste
* ½ cup chopped chives (optional)
* ½ cup bacon bits (optional)
If you opt to use both optional options, incorporate only ¼ cup of each.
Directions:
1. Peel the potatoes, cut them in half width-wise. If you want to make your mashed potatoes more nutritious, leave half the potatoes unpeeled (but washed very thoroughly!).
2. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of slightly salted water for 20 minutes. Longer if they're not tender enough to be pierced easily. Drain them, stick them back in the pot, cover the pot, and shake the potatoes around a bit.
3. Add the milk and butter, and bring out an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. If necessary, add more milk, but go slow with that (add only one tablespoon at a time) or you might end up with really watery potatoes.
4. Add the optional ingredients, then salt and pepper to taste.
