Mashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled & quartered lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon milk
Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Put all potatoes in saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add enough water to cover the potatoes well and bring to a boil
2 - Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft to a fork
3 - Warm cream and melt butter together
4 - Put potatoes in dish andd add the cream and butter. Mash with potato masher. Add milk as needed until the desired consistency is acheived.
5 - Add salt and pepper to taste

THOUGHTS:
These mashed potatoes are fantastic and the perfect starting point for "flavored" mashed potatoes. I recently made this recipe but added 2 tablespoons of wasabi to the melted butter and cream before mashing the potatoes. The result was mashed potatoes with a slight (very slight) kick that went well with the seared tuna dish below. In the future, I will probably try this recipe with other seasonings such as garlic and cheese.

Seared Tuna Steaks

INGREDIENTS:
Tuna steak(s) (about .5 lb per person)
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup Soy/Ginger marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1 - Marinate the steaks in all other ingredients mixed together for 1.5 hours in the fridge and 30 minutes room temperature
2 - Heat a pan on Medium-High heat. While heating, dry the tuna steak(s) using paper towels.
3 - Put 2 tablespoons of the marinade into the hot pan and then add the steak(s).
4 - For Medium Rare, sear for 2.5 minutes on one side and 1.5 minutes on the second side. To cook further, lower the heat to medium and continue flipping steaks until they are to your preferred level of doneness.

THOUGHTS:
Delicious and quick! If you have a Whole Foods in your neighborhood, the Whole Ranch Honey, Ginger & Soy marinade works really well.