The humble potato. “It isn’t a meal unless there’s potato” is something many believe. It can be the star of the show, or a back up dancer. They’re warm and comforting, creamy, and sometimes satisfyingly crispy. But I’m pretty sure I’ve shared with all of you that I’m not really a big fan. Why you ask?!? Because when you can’t spruce up your spud with add ons like sour cream, butter, and cheese – well what’s the point??? Best friend Trish put it perfectly once when I gave her an adzuki bean cupcake with avocado icing. She looked at the cupcake, then back at me and said… this would be such a waste of calories.

I used to date someone that would eat potatoes at pretty much every meal, or I’d catch a glimmer of hope in his eye that a potato (fingers crossed) would be a supporting role on his plate. I was pretty much the full time cook in this relationship so needless to say potatoes were rarely eaten. Hey, don’t start feeling sorry for Mr. Potato. He had it made in the shade. He’d come home from work and dinner was ready, table set, dessert cooling…pffffft potatoes! In my next life I want to come back as my boyfriend. But with a better ass and more back bone! Ha! I used to tease him about his potato consumption daily, even called him Spud because if we ever found ourselves at a buffet and we were comparing plates, mine would be a mix of veggies and salad and his plate would a visual glossary for different ways to prepare the potato. Then he’d give me a sheepish look followed by “but they’re soooooooo good.”

Little side note to all the single guys out there, if we date, i’m gonna blog about it, you’ve been warned. Squad goals…Tay Tay would be proud!

Fast-forward to a few years later and out of the blue don’t I get a craving for potatoes. Weirdest part is that I also had a hankering for gravy, I shock even myself sometimes.

Et voila, potato and parsnip mash with rosemary mushroom gravy.

Ingredients:

2 russet potatoes peeled and chopped
2 parsnips peeled and chopped
1 white onion chopped
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 garlic cloves chopped
3-4 cups of chopped mushrooms (about 12)
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1-2 sprigs of rosemary chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil with your potatoes, parsnips and just a pinch of salt already in there, ready to go. Once boiling reduce heat to medium and cover for about 15-20 minutes, or until your veg are fork tender.

Then while those veg are simmering away, grab a large skillet and heat some oil over medium heat. Add in your chopped onions and garlic and cook those down for about 5 minutes. Don’t you just love the smell of onions and garlic cooking?!?

Next add in your mushrooms and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. Once your mushrooms have cook down stir in the rosemary and some salt and pepper to taste.

Then in a small bowl, whisk together the broth, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce. (This will help to keep it clump free) then add your broth mixture into your mushroom pan. Continue to cook and stir, then like the magic of television that mushroom gravy will thicken up in no time flat. Just make sure you are constantly stirring to avoid getting clumpy gravy.

Once your potatoes and parsnips are ready to rock and roll, drain them well and then back into the pot they go so you can mash them up. You can either do this by hand or if you prefer a whipped potato then just use a hand blender.

Now all that’s left to do is plate up your spuds and serve the mushroom gravy on top. I rocked mine with a little roast beast and sauteed garlic kale, YUM!!!

Eat your heart out Mr. Potato!