Potato soufflés

I have a confession to make... I’ve watched “Twilight” and thought it was cute. :D

My friend told me she was going to see the movie and I acted like a fool – even joked about teen movies and such. After she told me how much she’d liked it, I decided to give it a try... and here I am now, feeling stupid for my prejudices. But I must say, in my defense, that Paramore is one of the things that put me off the movie. :D

If that hadn’t been a good lesson for me, here’s another one: I saw this recipe months ago and wondered how a simple potato soufflé could be good... Even though I love potatoes, a soufflé without other flavors added sounded too bland.

Guess what? I was wrong, again. :)

Potato soufflés
from Donna Hay magazine

melted butter, for brushing
1kg sebago (starchy) potatoes, peeled and chopped
100g butter
salt and black pepper
60g butter, extra
¼ cup (35g) all purpose flour
1 cup (240ml) milk
3 egg yolks
1 cup (100g) finely grated parmesan
5 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºC. Brush 4 x 1 ¼ capacity (310ml) ovenproof dishes with melted butter, using upward brush strokes to help the soufflé raise; set aside.
Place the potato in a saucepan of cold salted water over high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Roughly mash the potato, add the butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Set aside.
Melt the extra butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until mixture is sandy texture. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until thick. Place in a bowl with the mashed potato, egg yolks and cheese and mix to combine. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold through potato mixture. Spoon into the buttered dishes, place on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Serve immediately.

Serves 4