Mashed Potatoes

Even as a 10 year-old who had never heard of a dish called Mashed Potatoes, I used to bug my mom to set aside a few boiled potatoes before she fried the rest of them to make awesome, crispy potato curry. I would mash the few boiled potatoes with my fingers, add some salt and eat with a lot of relish (of course, along with my crispy curry). It was amusing to my family that I would take such a simple route to relish potatoes when a spicy, fried version was sitting in front of me. But I guess potatoes fire up anybody's instincts to have them cooked and mashed with just a little bit of simple seasoning. It's such a classic dish. 

When I came to know that the classic mashed potatoes has butter and milk to make them extra special, how could I resist? But, having grown up, this is a slightly healthier version. Instead of butter, there is buttermilk. 

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

1. 5-6 potatoes
2. 1 tablespoon butter (just a little, ok)
3. 1/2 cup milk (2% fine)
4. 1 cup buttermilk
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1 teaspoon pepper
7. 2 teaspoons chopped chives

Preparation:

1. Peel the potatoes, dice them into chunks and boil them in salted water until they are fully cooked.
2. Heat the butter and milk on medium heat until the milk begins to steam. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. 
3. Mash the potatoes. I used to mash them with my hands, then I heard about a potato-masher. But before I went ahead and purchased the masher, Ina mentioned that it's better to use a food mill to gently breakdown the potatoes to fine threads. So, I used a grater. Yes, a grater. I grated the cooked potatoes through the smaller-sized grater on the standard grating box. This is done to keep the potatoes light, instead of making them gummy by violently dispersing the starches.
4. Add the milk+butter mixture to the mashed potatoes and mix with a whisk. 
5. Add the buttermilk and continue to whisk until everything comes together as a smooth paste. Add more buttermilk if you like.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped chives. 

Serve!