The Great Pumpkin Adventure

These mashed potatoes have been highly anticipated here in the Land of Honey.  I have been excited about them for weeks!  I mean I only talked about them here....and....here.  And every time I pulled into my driveway and saw them sitting in the yard, I thought to myself...man those are pretty pumpkins.  I sure can't wait to eat one!  haha  Sometimes it's the little things....right?

So, these were good.  I mean not knock your socks off slap your mama great, but not bad either.  A good starting point to build on.  

First, let's start off by saying that whoever wrote this recipe, here, and I definitely do things differently.  I did do a few, perhaps crucial, things not according to the directions, but I had my reasons.  For example, I wanted to keep the seeds from my pumpkin to plant next year, and I thought that maybe if I baked the pumpkin whole like I was supposed to, I would somehow kill the seeds and then next year when I went to plant them... :( .  Also, it says to use 1 pumpkin, do you remember the difference in the size of my 2 jarrahdales from the pictures?  They differ in weight by over 5 pounds!   I had to add a TON more liquid and maybe that's because I roasted the pumpkin in slices, so maybe it dried out a bit?  I don't know, it certainly didn't seem dry.  So, there was a lot of winging it here....Becuase of all the changes, I'm just going to post what I did, and you can always link back to the original recipe here.  ......anyway, here we go! 

Jarrahdale Potato Mash

What's In It:

2 1/2 lb Jarrahdale Pumpkin cubes

6 med potatoes

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c butter

1 c milk

1/2 c chicken stock (if necessary)

1/4 c sour cream

2 T horseradish

Salt & Pepper

Cheese, to taste

What To Do With It:

Slice Jarrahdale in half, or quarters, and roast flesh side down at 350 degrees F for 45 min.  Peel and cube squash.  I peeled the squash with a pairing knife (I used my small jarrahdale for this recipe and I only needed half of it to get the 2 1/2 lb.  The other half is cubed and in my freezer for Take 2).  At this point the squash was only the slightest bit soft in places.  If you aren't concerned about saving your pumpkin seeds for planting, you could definitely roast the pumpkin whole.

Pierce potatoes and place in microwave on high for 12 min.  Once they are cool enough to handle, peel if desired, and cube*.  

Add potatoes and squash to large pot with milk and butter.  Cook over medium heat.  Mash with a potato masher as the potatoes cook down.  This is tricky because you want the head high enough to move the cooking along but not so high you burn the milk.  Watch this closely and stir frequently.  Add the chicken stock if it becomes too dry.  

Add garlic, horseradish, salt and pepper, and any cheese you desire**.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to incorporate.

*I really think that next time I'm just going to peel and dice the potatoes and then boil them in water with the squash cubes like mashed potatoes.  If you go this route, boil til fork tender, drain and return to pot, then add milk, etc.

**I added about 1/2 c parmesan cheese and we couldn't taste it at all.  I would think next time I will mix in at least a cup, maybe a cup and half, of a sharp cheddar or maybe even a Gouda and then make sure the cheese is melted prior to serving.  

I know this review isn't a glowing one, but like I said, we will definitely be making it again.  The Z-Squad all ate it and went back for more!  I think I'm the only one that was kinda disappointed since my hopes were so high.  

Here's to second chances!!! :)