Mashed Potatoes (Adapted From Paula Deen)

Mashed potatoes are a such a staple in southern cooking. It was one of the first dishes I remember learning how to make (after macaronni, spaghetti and ramen noodles). I've been using the same mashed potato recipe for 5 years now. When Jon and I started dating, I thought I'd try to impress him by cooking him dinner....only one problem with this bright idea, I wasn't a cook! I dragged myself to Barnes and Noble and purchased the Lady and Sons cookbook by Ms. Paula Deen. I knew she was a great cook, and I figured I'd start out with her cookbook because majority of the recipes were for beginners (I'm no Julia Childs). I remember making Jon mashed potatoes, swiss steak and green beans. Well...he politely told me later not to make the swiss steak again, because he didn't like it (at least he was honest), but he really liked the mashed potatoes! So for years now, I've been sticking to my trusty Paula Deen mashed potato recipe...until a few months ago. Jon and I were out to dinner, halfway into his steak and potatoes, he asked me that question that women hate their husbands asking: "Why don't you make stuff like this at home?!" Really??? Ummmmm...I thought to myself, okay garlic mashed potatoes can't be that hard! So I experimented. I used Lawry's Garlic Salt and just sprinkled it into my mashed potatoes. I gave it about 15 shakes of the garlic salt (I'm not into measuring it out...just taste it to see how much it needs) and they turned out delicious! So much easier than cutting garlic and cooking it! I apologize for the long story...I'm sure you're thinking, "I thought this post was going to be a recipe?!", well here it is:

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

8-12 Medium Red New Potatoes (I never make mashed potatoes with anything but new potatoes)
1/2 Cup Milk
8 Tbs (1 Stick) Butter (Come on, this is a Paula recipe! You knew butter would be involved!)
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt To Taste

Directions:

Slice your potatoes into 1/4 inch cubes (Do not peel them!) and cook in a pot of boiling water (medium-high heat) for about 15 minutes, until fork-tender (If your pot starts to boil over, put a little spoonful of butter in. It stops them from foaming up!). Drain potatoes and put them into a bowl. Use a hand-mixer to mash your potatoes to a slightly chunky consistency. Then, add the milk, butter and sour cream. Whip the potatoes until smooth, and add your salt, pepper and garlic salt to desired taste. If your potatoes are too thick, you can add more milk to make a creamier consistency.

These are easy and delicious!