How about some mashed potatoes with that chicken?

Things have been rather active professionally. In addition to passing our accreditation review with flying colors, I've also had some opportunities come up for new positions elsewhere. While I have had a lot of rewarding experiences where I currently work, I'm ready for a change. I'm hoping to get into a public library system where I can work with the public at large. I may be making this change as soon as mid-October. It's a very exciting time for me and although it will be hard leaving the campus where I have spent the last six years, this is a decision I feel is right for me both personally and professionally.

Since my last post in early August, I have tried out a number of recipes that I'll be sharing here over the next couple of weeks. I anticipate that I will be doing a lot more cooking too if I make the job change I'm hoping for, so recipes could come rapid fire. I'm also hoping for time for gardening and some of the other things I've had to put aside (art, music, spending time outside).

Today's recipe is a mashed potatoes recipe that compliments the oven-fried chicken recipe of my last post. These mashed potatoes are so creamy and good. This is not heart-healthy, low-fat, low cholesterol, or any other healthy moniker. Actually, there's no wheat in this recipe so it would be OK for someone with a wheat allergy. There, that's something. So here ya go, mashed potatoes with caramelized shallots.

What you'll need:
5 lbs. potatoes (your choice, but I like the sweeter red potatoes)
5 medium shallots
1 Tbs. bacon grease or olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll need to do:
1. Peel and cut the potatoes into 2-in pieces. Place into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until you can easily poke them with a fork or toothpick (about 15-20 min).
2. Drain potatoes and return to the pot.
3. Peel and chop the shallots (they always makes me cry).
4. In a medium frying pan, heat the bacon grease over medium heat and add the shallots. Saute and stir occasionally until the shallots have turned golden brown. You may need to reduce heat slightly to avoid burning them (low and slow is the key to good caramelized onions). Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Add the butter, buttermilk, heavy cream and spices to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher (the handheld kind) until creamy. Use a spoon or spatula to fold in the shallots. Serve warm.

You can up the ante even more with this recipe if you add bacon. You can soft-cook your bacon (even cook it way ahead of time), cut it into smaller chunks, and reserve the bacon grease if you don't have any already on hand.