Coconut Milk Mashed Potatoes

By Kath Dedon

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It was a revelation when I read in Heather Christo‘s beautiful cookbook, Pure Delicious, that she made creamy mashed potatoes with coconut milk! She uses vegan butter in her recipe, making it totally dairy-free and vegan. She promises that the potatoes do not taste like coconut.

Heather explains in the opening chapters of the book that people who have a true allergy to dairy products are allergic to the milk proteins found in all dairy products, including butter. Those who are lactose intolerant are sensitive not to the milk proteins, but to the milk sugars. They can usually eat butter which is low in lactose, the milk sugar.

Laura joined us for dinner last night and I decided to make Quick Roast Chicken Parts with Carrots and my easy recipe for Mashed Potatoes. This time, however, I used coconut milk! The Coconut Milk Mashed Potatoes were excellent! They definitely did not taste like coconut. We truly couldn’t tell the difference between the coconut milk mashed potatoes and dairy milk mashed potatoes.

I did use butter. If you need the recipe to be totally dairy-free or vegan, just substitute a vegan butter for the dairy butter.

If you, or people for whom you cook, have special dietary needs I highly recommend Pure Delicious. Heather is a trained chef and former caterer and her recipes reflect her professional background. You can check out her recipes on her blog, too. heatherchristo.com.

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Leftover Coconut Milk Mashed Potatoes reheated beautifully alongside the chicken and carrots for Bob’s lunch. In the background is So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk that worked so well in the recipe.

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Coconut Milk Mashed Potatoes

(Inspired by Heather Christo’s recipe in Pure Delicious)

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(print the recipe)

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Make it vegan, and dairy-free, by substituting a vegan butter for the dairy butter.

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Serves 4 – 6

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2 – 2½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes

1/3 – ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk(I used So Delicious found in the refrigerated dairy case.)

2 – 3 tablespoons butter(or vegan butter substitute)

Salt

Pepper

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1.    Scrub the potatoes well. If they’re about the same size and small, leave them whole. If not, cut them into similar-size pieces.

2.    Put the potatoes in a pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.

3.    When the water’s boiling stir in about 1 tablespoon of salt. Reduce the heat so the water is simmering. Cover and cook until done, about 15 – 25 minutes. (Timing will depend on the size of your potato pieces.)

4.    When the potatoes are tender, drain the potatoes and put them back in the pot. Put the pot back on the burner for a few seconds to evaporate the rest of the water.

5.    Mash them right in the pot with a potato masher.

6.    After mashing a bit, add some butter and the coconut milk. Start with the lower amounts; you can always add more later. Continue to mash, adding more coconut milk and butter if needed, until done the way you like them.

7.    Season with salt and pepper. Serve, offering extra butter at the table.

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