Last night, a friend of ours came over for dinner, and so did my
mother-in-law. We grilled a flank steak that had been marinated in a
garlicky vinaigrette, grilled zucchini (w/ EVOO, lemon juice, garlic,
fresh rosemary, S&P), grilled portobello mushrooms (that had been
drizzled w/ a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette), mashed potatoes, succotash
(made with fresh limas and fresh local corn, cooked w/ bacon and lots of
pepper -- mom-in-law's contribution, very yummy), sourdough bread, and
cantaloupe (both brought by mom-in-law also). And a tossed salad of red
leaf lettuce w/ homegrown cherry tomatoes. Everything was wonderful.
We drank a bottle of pinot noir w/ it. For dessert, we had ice cream
cones (for the kids) and hot fudge sundaes (for the grownups).
Now the confession -- I used those Country Crock mashed potatoes. I
normally don't make mashed potatoes, because mine always turn out
terrible (I've heard all the advice here and tried many suggestions, but
for me, timing is an issue -- once I no longer have a toddler hanging on
my leg during dinner prep, I will get a potato ricer, pay more attention
to timing so that my potatoes are not overcooked, and make perfect
mashed spuds).
Anyway, the Country Crock taters were pretty darn good! Miles better
than instant potato flakes. We had the regular flavor and nuked them in
the tub according to directions. I added more butter at the end (after
dumping them into my own bowl). The texture was nice -- they weren't
gluey or overly whipped, and there were a few small, not unpleasant
lumps. Not a bad product at all. I bought a tub of the garlic mashed
potatoes, too, and will try them this week.
Chris