Creamy Potato Sauce

A creamy silky white sauce … you won’t believe it is so simple, and you can personalise it according to your preferences … in fact, the first time I made it by mistake :). I intended to make some mashed potatoes as a side dish for a grilled chicken breast… I usually steam the potatoes but this time I simmered them in a small amount of water together with some carrots, celery and onion. After the carrots and vegetables became soft I transferred them in a blender (instead of using the mixer) together with 100 ml of the boiling water, I added a t-spoon of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and blended them about a minute at medium high speed. The result ? … a creamy delicious potato sauce, thick but still kind of liquid and not even close to the classic “mashed potatoes”.

When I saw it’s look and texture a lot of potential recipes came in my mind… You can use it as a starting point for creamy potato soups ( with leek or any vegetable you like ), you can add some parmesan cheese while it is hot (or any cheese you like), you can use it as an elegant coating for some steamed broccoli or cauliflower or why not steamed potatoes … It is also a great sauce for gnocchi … The main idea is you can get a healthy and delicious sauce just with the starch in the potatoes and in the boiling water. Cheese and other vegetables are used only for building the flavour profile. It is not a cheese sauce and not heavy cream white sauce but it is smooth, silky and lighter than probably most of the white sauces you can find …

How to do it …

Peel the vegetables and the potatoes then cut them in big dices. Transfer them in a thick bottom pot add a pinch of salt, cover with water and bring to a simmer. When the water is simmering, lower the heat and continue to simmer until the vegetables are soft. ( The potatoes will be a little overcooked by time the celery will be soft but don’t worry it is fine for the purpose of this recipe). Put the potatoes and vegetables in a blender together with about 100 ml from the boiling water, add the olive oil, the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and the pepper and blend at medium-high speed a minute … The sauce is ready… At this point you can add the parmesan cheese (if you consider) and stir until it is incorporated.

Enjoy !!!

Just an ideea …

I put some boiled potatoes, carrots and celery pieces in small bowls together with some grated parmesan cheese and poured over the potato sauce to fill the bowls. On the top, another sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese and I put the bowls into the oven for about 10 minutes at 200C with ventilation … You can use the grill function for the last three minutes if you want to “brown” more the parmesan …