Mashed Potatoes
 

Very Important Question: <BR>Upon visiting Newfoundland I discovered that mashed potatoes are served much differently than in the states. In the states, m.p. is usually mashed with milk or cream and butter or margarine and seasoned with spices. In Newfoundland, m.p. is a scoop or of potato with no discernable added ingredients. <BR>Of course, with the delicious fish, veggies, berries, ale and desserts , who cares .... Just curious if this the way m.p. are served throughout Canada, or if this a regional thing? <BR>

I found the same thing to be true of "mashed potatoes" I was served on Vancouver Island. They were supposed to be be garlic flavored, but they were basically blah, mound of potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes in Canada as in the US are done usually with milk and/or butter - unless one is kosher and eating it with meat then it would be done with chicken fat. How would you get the smooth constituency if there was not some creamy ingrediant added. I think you both had a lousy experiance and I wouldn[t be happy either.

I make my mashed potatoes the same way you do,milk, butter and spices. Live on Vancouver Island.<BR>

Actually, Gary, this was typical throughout Newfoundland; I guess I kept ordering it out of curiousity! <BR>Mashed potatoes aside, the cuisine was quite good, the scenery spectacular, and the people among the friendliest I've met. What a great place!

Perhaps mashed potatoes are a regional thing. My family and practically everyone I know makes it the way Hungryhannah descibes (ie: with cream/milk/butter/seasoning, etc). Every Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc... or anytime I have roast chicken or roast beef - old fashioned creamy mashed potatoes are a given.<BR><BR>HOWEVER... I've noticed the trend in a lot of restaurant recently to garlic their mashed potatoes and to keep it less creamy... however, I find those are mostly the trendier restaurants who are trying to be original and health-conscious. I've had creamy old fashioned mashed potatoes many times while dining throughout Canada (ie: Swiss Chalet comes to mind!) however...<BR><BR>a) Swiss Chalet is a family-style chain restaurant, and not exaclty the epitome of dining in the country (at least not where I'm from on the west coast!)<BR><BR>b) I don't seem to order mashed potatoes a lot while eating out for some reason, so I really can't compare with exception to my occasional mashed potatoes splurges, like at Swiss Chalet, hehe...

and I suppose I should have written<BR><BR>c) I've never been to the east coast of Canada, so I couldn't tell you their mashed potato secrets. ;)<BR><BR>And excuse me if I made any typos, or if my writing didn't sound too clear. I'm taking a break from writing a huge research paper, and my mind is not all there right now. ;)

I am from New Brunswick, and I personally make it usually with just butter. When I don't have a lot of butter I put a little milk. Thats how my mom does it. We don't put in spices. If you want salt and pepper, people can just add that at the table. I have never been to NFLD, so I don't know what they do there, but also, I don't know what other NBers do

My sister lives in Nfld. I'm going to ask her about mashed potatoes although this is staring to feel a little like the Ann Landers thing about how to let toilet paper hang - from the front or the back.

I had some at a resort in Parksville on Vancouver Island. Like you, I was served a clump of boiled white potatoes that had been smashed briefly with a fork when they hit my plate. An expensive meal with no taste. I wouldn't go back to Vancouver Island for the food. Loved the island for everything else though.

I live in Nova Scotia and growing up at my house we always had two types of Mashed Potatoes: Whipped w/butter & Milk, and just mashed with nothing except gravy! My brother doesn't like gravy so he would eat them whipped a the rest of the family mostly would eat them plain w/gravy.

Born and raised in Toronto, and I always made mashed potatoes the way my mother did, i.e. just plain, no milk, no butter, no nothing. At some point during my adulthood I realized that while my mom was a great person, she was not much of a cook. Discovered a recipe in, of all things, the cookbook that came with my microwave oven (I have now graduated to trying everything I see on the Food Network) and found out how much better mashed potatoes tasted with milk and butter. My grandkids love them. We live and learn. Robyn, how's the research paper coming?

little motel in the middle of Saskatchewan offered us a choice of french fries or home fries - i asked if they had any mashed potatoes and the lady said, no we're all out of instant potato!!