Golden Corn and Potato Mash

I want folks who are fans of mashed potatoes to sit down before reading today's recipe. It's imperative that you stay calm as we walk through the instructions. I'm going to start with a question. What do you call golden potatoes that simmer in milk and heavy cream before they are enriched with mascarpone, olive oil and butter? PDG, right? It doesn't stop there. The potatoes are patterned after a Swedish recipe developed by Marcus Samuelsson, one of my favorite chefs. He goes a step further and folds shoepeg corn into the culinary equivalent of molten gold. If you are looking for a potato recipe meant for special occasions - like dinner tonight - try these. An hour on the treadmill will offset the caloric damage. I have these with my birthday dinner. They're that good.

Golden Corn and Potato Mash

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup shoepeg corn kernels, thawed and drained

Directions:
1) Place potatoes, milk and cream in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes, reserving liquid.
2) While potatoes simmer, combine egg yolks, mascarpone cheese, olive oil and thyme in a small bowl. Mix well. Set aside.
2) Rice the potatoes using a food mill or potato ricer. Beat in egg mixture and butter with a wooden spoon. Add about 3/4 cup of reserved cooking liquid. Add more liquid if you like potatoes with a looser consistency. Fold in corn and season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and fresh ground pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon). Yield: 4 to 6 servings.




This recipe is my entry for the April Potato Ho Down an event created by Cathy from Noble Pig. It is being hosted this month by Donalyn from Dlynz.