Kent Rollins is best known for his cowboy twang and his hearty recipes cooked in his trusty chuckwagon. When he sets his cast iron pan over the fire, over a million subscribers are transported in the days of cattle herding and horseback riding, where meals are prepared in field kitchens and prepared by the tools of the era. He has made appearances on several TV shows like Chopped Grill Masters, Cutthroat Kitchen, even beating Bobby Flay in Touchdown! With Bobby Flay with his chicken fried steak. He and his wife, Shannon, released their first cookbook, A Taste of Cowboy, in April 2015 and was listed in the Top 100 Cookbooks to Own in a Lifetime.
Kent narrates how he was saved by potatoes.
“Taters got me through a lot of hard times, especially on ranches. I can remember one winter, we ran plum out of groceries nearly but we had lots of taters and we feasted on them taters three times a day.”
In this recipe, he shares his experiences cooking in inclement weather, a new addition to his family, and how he can make this simple dish into something really special. This quintessential side dish will make any dish into comfort food. And as he claimed, it’s “creamiest, smoothest, best mashed potatoes you’ve eaten in your life.”
Ingredients:
While we all have a love affair with Yukon gold, one of Kent’s secrets lies in his “half and half”. We’re not talking about the cream, but the two kinds of potatoes that we are using.
- 2 lbs russet potatoes
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 to 1 ½ cups half and half
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- coarse ground black pepper and salt
- chopped green onion for topping
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into equal-sized pieces or chunks then and place them in a large stockpot. You can peel the potatoes, but Kent recommends that you don’t.
2. Add water just enough to cover the potatoes about 1 inch.
3. On high fire, bring the potatoes to a boil for about 10 minutes or until they are just fork-tender.
4. Meanwhile, combine the half and half, butter, and garlic to a small pot then simmer over medium-low heat. Cook until the butter melts and the mixture has warmed through, stirring occasionally. Then, set it aside.
5. Drain the water from the potatoes and place the pot back over a low heat stirring occasionally to let all the steam and moisture evaporate.
6. Remove from the heat, then add the cream cheese in with the potatoes.
7. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
Pour in half of the half and half mixture into the potatoes then mash or blend the potatoes with a mixer.
Mix in the remaining wet mixture until you reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with green onions.
It’s an easy dish that could elevate your dinner experiences and make them into hearty comfort food. Pair with your favorite meats and greens, and don’t forget to give some to your neighbors.
You can watch how Kent made this amazing version of a rather simple dish in the video below.
SHARE this with your friends and family so they can show off at the next potluck!
