For potato lovers, you will agree that mashed potatoes are one of the delicious processed potatoes to be served as a side dish. Unfortunately, the mashed potatoes won't be as delicious if they end up being too sticky like glue. If you've already made a bowl of mashed potatoes that are too sticky in texture, don't worry because the truth is, there are a few tips you can try to improve the texture of the potatoes, such as mixing them with perfectly textured mashed potatoes, or mixing them with some extra ingredients and turning them into gratin, especially if your free time is limited. With a little time and creativity, potatoes don't need to be thrown away and can be served as a delicious side dish!
Ingredients
Mixing It With Softer Mashed Potatoes
- 450 grams of potatoes
- 500 ml cold water
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 120 ml cream or milk
Making Gratin
- Sticky mashed potatoes
- 25 grams of bread flour
- 50 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
- 50 grams of butter
Step
Method 1 of 2: Mixing It With Softer Mashed Potatoes
Step 1. Make a new mashed potato mixture from the mixture of russet potatoes and golden Yukon potatoes
Combining potatoes with high and low starch content is effective in producing mashed potatoes with the perfect consistency and taste. In particular, potatoes with low starch content have a richer taste. However, you should not only use low-starch potatoes because once mashed, the end result will taste less delicious. To fix about 900 grams of mashed potatoes that are too sticky, try mixing 450 grams of a mixture of low and high starch potatoes into it.
Generally, an overly sticky texture can develop if large amounts of waxy potatoes are constantly stirred and crushed while cooking
Step 2. Boil the potatoes in water that is heated over low heat to soften the texture
First, rinse, scrub and peel the potatoes, then put them in the pot. Then, pour about 500 ml of cold water into a saucepan and turn on the stove over high heat. To prevent the potatoes from cooking unevenly, make sure all the potatoes are submerged in water and boiled at the same time. Don't let the water boil! Instead, simply heat the water until it stays below the boiling point.
Although water can be heated long before use, doing so can make the potato texture inconsistent when boiled
Step 3. Mash the potatoes manually to prevent the texture from ending up too sticky
Use a special tool to smooth the potatoes so that the pressure on the potatoes is not too strong, and therefore the potatoes will not end up being too sticky. For the same reason, it's best not to use a food processor to prevent too much starch from leaking out and making the potatoes end up too sticky like glue. Instead, try mashing the potatoes manually in slow, methodical motions.
Do you know?
Boiling potatoes can enlarge the starch cells. While these cells need to be broken down to produce mashed potatoes of the perfect consistency, don't over-crush them so the mashed potatoes don't end up being too sticky.
Step 4. Add cream and butter which have been allowed to come to room temperature
Before mixing with the mashed potatoes, remove 1 tbsp. butter and 120 ml of cream or milk from the refrigerator, and let it sit for a few moments on the kitchen counter. If used cold, cream and butter can lower the temperature of the potatoes, and make it more difficult to absorb into the potatoes. Therefore, let them sit for 15-30 minutes at room temperature before mixing them into the mashed potatoes.
If you want, you can also warm the butter and cream on the stove before mixing them into the mashed potatoes
Step 5. Mix both types of mashed potatoes for a more balanced texture
Mix the fresh, soft mashed potatoes with the mashed potatoes that are too sticky, and gently and carefully mix them together using a spatula. Make sure the two types of potatoes are thoroughly mixed before serving.
- Don't over-stir the potatoes so they don't stick together again.
- If you don't want to make too many potatoes, try mixing 2 parts sticky mashed potatoes with 1 part soft mashed potatoes.
- If you don't mind a larger portion of potatoes and you really want to get rid of the sticky texture of the potatoes, try mixing 1 part sticky mashed potato with 1 part soft mashed potato. If you want, you can also experiment until you find the consistency that works best!
Method 2 of 2: Making Gratin
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
While waiting for the oven to heat up, prepare the other ingredients needed to make the gratin. Also, make sure you move the roasting rack to the center of the oven so that the potatoes cook to perfection without risking scorching.
If the rack is positioned too high, the potatoes will likely end up being overcooked or even charred
Step 2. Pour the mashed potatoes into the casserole dish and smooth the surface
With the help of a large spoon or a rubber spatula, smooth the surface of the potatoes so that there is no empty space in the container, so that the potatoes can cook perfectly with a consistent texture.
If possible, use a container with a depth of at least 2.5 cm
Step 3. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the surface of the potatoes to enrich the taste
Take 25 grams of prepared bread flour and sprinkle it evenly over the entire surface of the potatoes. So that the taste does not dominate the gratin, add a sufficient portion of flour, as far as the entire surface of the potato is evenly coated. To save time, please use ready-made bread flour which is widely sold in supermarkets.
- Add 25 grams of bread flour for every 2 potatoes used.
- If you have free time, try making your own breadcrumbs.
Step 4. Coat the surface of the potatoes with grated cheese
Sprinkle 50 grams of Romano cheese or grated parmesan evenly over the surface of the potatoes and breadcrumbs, so you can feel the sensation of cheese in every bite of the gratin.
- Use 50 grams of grated cheese for every 900 grams of potatoes.
- If you want, you can also use another type of grated cheese, such as cheddar.
Step 5. Spread 50 grams of butter evenly on the surface of the potatoes
Spread a few pieces of room temperature butter over the potatoes, breadcrumbs, and cheese. First of all, cut the butter into 1.3 cm pieces. Then, spread the butter evenly over the entire surface of the potato.
- Use 50 grams of butter for every 900 grams of potatoes.
- If you wish, you can also melt the butter first to make it easier to spread evenly.
Step 6. Bake the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until the surface color turns golden brown
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and cook the potatoes until done. If possible, keep the oven light on so that the level of doneness of the potatoes can be monitored more easily. If the potato doesn't look golden brown after 10-15 minutes, try baking it again in the oven for another 5 minutes. Once the surface of the potatoes looks crispy, immediately remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
