My New Obsession

I recently came back from my sister's farm in Saskatchewan with bags of lovely fall vegetables. My sister plants a garden that produces enough vegetables to solve a hunger crisis in a small third world country. She just needs them to arrange transport. My sister wants me to believe that she does this so she doesn't have to eat chemical laced produce from evil supermarkets. Truth is that, after having 7 children, she does it for the peace and solitude. If you want your kids to leave you alone just use the following magic phrase: "Want to come help me weed the garden?" From what I've witnessed, the phrase is guaranteed to give you hours away from your offspring.

Back to the issue of what to do with my bags of fresh produce. Faced with bags of beets, I had to come up with a solution fast. There was only so much beet borscht my family was willing to eat. I figured I could take care of the beets and the potatoes in one quick swoop. Mashed potatoes and beets were born. I did some checking and it turns out there are recipes out there for this marvelous creation but I guarantee you none of them are as good as this one. Mine is born of some serious consultation with the beet loving secretary who runs the school I work at. For a week we shared the results of our many experiments in the kitchen and the following is the addictive result:

• Cut up one huge beet into cubes and boil it for about 10 minutes in a pot full of salted water. To those who don't salt food: get lost! The beets take longer to cook so start them earlier than the potatoes.
• Add 5 large potatoes cut into large sections.
• Boil the whole thing until the potatoes are tender.
• Drain and mash with 1/2 a cup of butter, (Use butter, not margarine! Margarine is evil and should only be used to lubricate squeaky doors.), enough milk to get a smooth consistency, 2 nice size tablespoons of horseradish (This is the secret ingredient that sends this stuff over the top.), a teaspoon of kosher salt, and a ton of lovely black pepper.
• Beat the hell out of the potatoes. I like to use an electric mixer and just leave a few lovely chunks of beet floating around.

Serve these with anything, or nothing. My daughter prefers them on their own in a heaping bowl topped with even more butter. Bless her skinny soul! I think I might need an intervention over my growing obsession because my fat pants are getting snug. Oh, remember that beets will cause interesting results in the bathroom about two hours after consumption. Don't panic! You are not dying!