Rosemary and Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Buttery mashed potatoes blended with creamy puréed cannellini beans, fresh rosemary and rich blue cheese. The perfect partner to prime rib and steak!  

If mashed potatoes could wear tiny tater tuxedos I image they would look like these rosemary blue cheese mashed potatoes. They’re just a fancier, dolled up version of regular mashed potatoes, and although I love them in any ensemble, I especially enjoy these ones.

I first made these for Mother’s day dinner at Andrew’s family’s house. The menu called for smoked prime rib and I figured mashed potatoes would be a perfect accompaniment! It was just an added bonus that I found a recipe that included blue cheese and rosemary, which seemed like the ultimate match for prime rib! 

Since it was a day for celebration I figured it was a good time for a new “Crumble” recipe. And OH EM GEE!!!! I forgot to mention the best ingredient!! Puréed cannellini beans!! What? Beans in mashed potatoes? That’s weird. No it’s not, it’s weird we don’t do this more often. It adds a whole new creamy, velvety taste to the mashed potatoes. And don’t worry, you don’t get a bean flavor, they still taste like normal taters, just new and improved!

I could talk about these for days. But I will spare you. Let’s dig into these buttery, cheesy taters! 

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ROSEMARY BLUE CHEESE MASHED POTATOES

*Disclaimer: this recipe can serve 8 people so it is fit for a holiday gathering. Be sure to cut it down if you’re just making it for a small family dinner! (Unless you want to have tons of leftovers!) 

As usual, before we start this recipe, let’s learn about how to choose and store potatoes so we have the best mashed potatoes possible! 

HOW DO I CHOOSE good POTATOES? 

• Choose potatoes that are firm, clean, smooth and unblemished. Avoid potatoes with any cuts, cracks, dents or gouges where bacteria can get in or mold can grow.
• Avoid potatoes that are growing sprouts unless you plan to eat them within 1-2 days. (And be sure to dig out those eyes before you cook them! #savage)
• Avoid potatoes that have any dark or green spots, or any other signs of bruising.
• Know what potatoes you need for what you’re trying to make:
  • High starch potatoes are best for dry or oil-based cooking such as baking, roasting and frying. These potatoes will absorb a lot of moisture so they’ll fall apart in soups, stews, or during boiling. However, they’re good for mashing. High starch potatoes are:
    • Idaho, russet, and sweet potatoes
  • Low starch potatoes are waxy so they don’t absorb moisture like the high starch potatoes do. This makes them ideal for boiling and steaming for soups, stews, potato salads, and casseroles since they’ll hold their shape. Low starch potatoes are:
    • Yukon gold, fingerling, and carola
  •  Medium starch potatoes are considered all-purpose potatoes because they can be used when you’re not really sure what type of potato you need. They hold their shape better than the high starch potatoes,  but still absorb moisture more than the low starch potatoes. This makes them ideal for boiling, baking, frying, roasting, steaming, and using in stews and soups! When in doubt go medium! Medium starch potatoes are:
    • Red potatoes, purple potatoes, and kennebec

GOT IT, SO HOW DO I STORE THEM UNTIL I’M READY TO mash them?

• Store in an open paper bag or a paper bag with holes in it.
• Do not store in a plastic bag as this will trap moisture and promote rotting.
• Store in a cool dark place such as your pantry, in a closet or in your basement. Do not refrigerate, as the cold will cause the starch to convert to sugar which will change the taste of the potato.
• Potatoes stored at room temperature will last about 1-2 weeks, potatoes stored at 45-50 degrees F will last for 2-3 months.

Tip: You can find more tips on seasonal produce selection and storage, plus tons of recipes from fellow food bloggers in my Monthly Seasonal Produce Guides! 

GREAT! NOW HOW TO DO I COOK THIS RECIPE?

Start this recipe by heating a large pot of salted water over high heat. Peel 4 lbs of Russet potatoes and cut into small chunks. Add the potatoes to the water and boil until tender, about 30 minutes. (Or an hour if you’re 30 minutes in when your husband points out you’re only on low heat. That happened to…a friend…once……)

Meanwhile, add one 15 oz can of cannellini beans and 1 1/4 C half and half to a food processor or blender and mix until puréed.

Once potatoes are getting close to being tender (about 20 mins, or 50, if you’re like me. I mean…my friend…) preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once tender, drain the potatoes and add them back into the large pot. Add in the bean mixture, 7 Tbsp of melted butter, 1 tsp of minced fresh rosemary, and 5 oz of blue cheese (or gorgonzola). Mix well, add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer potatoes to an oven safe baking dish, top with 1 Tbsp of butter and sprinkle with remaining 1 oz of blue cheese and 1 tsp of minced rosemary. Place into oven and heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!! These are so delicious, cheesy, indulgent, and creamy! Perfect to pair with prime rib or steak! 🙂Looking for more blue cheese recipes? Check out these brussels sprouts with bacon and blue cheese, these blue cheese veggie stuffed mushrooms or these blue cheese and steak crostini! 

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**Recipe adapted from Good Life Eats

What do you think? Did this recipe make the cut for you or did it crumble? What would you do differently? I look forward to reading your opinions! 🙂

 

 

PS: Since I want my blog to be about learning and improving, I wanted to include one of my original images, next to an updated image. Thank you to the Pinch of Yum Food Photography Ebook for these lessons!