Chicken Tomato And Mushroom Stew With Garlic Parmesan Mash

You guys, stew! STEW! Do you know how excited I am that I can actually cook stew again? It has been so disgustingly hot these last couple of months, I’ve forgotten how delightful it is to cook stew. And how delicious they are to eat. And if the weather service is to be trusted, this entire week will be cooling down and that to me means stews, pies and perhaps even a ramen worked in here or there. I am so desperate for the comforting, warming foods of winter. Can you tell? This stew was a quick knock-together kinda dish but lemme tell you, the end result was absolutely mouth-watering. It’s pretty straight-forward cooking and we’re not re-inventing the wheel here but I can tell you, that mash will change your life. Smooth, potato goodness mashed with slow-roasted garlic and intense Parmesan. drool Of course, you can serve this stew with rice or polenta or a good chunk of bread but I’ll be honest with you, this mash is the star of this meal. The secret to really great mashed potatoes is to roast your potatoes whole until the skins are crisp and golden and the insides have steamed to a hot, fluffy cloud. Alongside the potatoes, I always roast a few heads of garlic because I simply can’t get enough. And when I made this, I decided to puree the garlic and add it to the mash along with copious amounts of grated Parmesan cheese, a little butter (ok fine, not a little) and a splash of full cream milk. Finished with some freshly ground white pepper (I find it is mild enough not to overpower the potatoes but still adds some bite) and salt, you have nothing but pleasure on your hands. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this mash is so good, you could serve it by itself. And if I ever come for dinner, please do so. I will be eternally grateful.