smashed potatoes & hamburger buns

An old favorite and a new. First, the old. We've been making King Arthur Flour's Beautiful Burger Buns for a few years now and they ALWAYS turn out perfectly. They are light in texture but sturdy enough to handle a big burger with lots of toppings. You can make them as big or small as you like, we've made regular burger size, slider size and hot dog/brat shaped buns. Even if you've never really made bread before, I promise, you can make these. 

Perfection!

Beautiful Burger Buns

makes 8 large buns or 12-18 slider size

3/4 to 1 C lukewarm water

2 Tbsp butter, room temp or melted

1 egg

3 1/2 C unbleached, all purpose flour

1/4 C sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp instant yeast

*for best results (smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in hot, humid weather and the larger amount in dry, cooler weather.

 Mix and knead all of the ingredients by hand, in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment or in a bread machine, to make a smooth dough. Cover the dough and let it rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size ( I always use my dough bucket which also happens to be from King Arthur, its awesome!)

Preheat oven to 375

Once dough has doubled in size, gently deflate the dough and divide into 8 or more pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball, flatten to about 3" across or about a 1/2" in thickness. Place buns on either a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for about an hour or until noticeably puffy.

Brush the buns with about 1 1/2 Tbsp of melted butter. 

Bake the buns for 15-18 minutes, less if you've made slider sized buns, start at 10 minutes if that's the case. Bake until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with another 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter. this will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust.

Cool buns before cutting. 

My next recipe is a new favorite. I love mashed potatoes but in the summer they just seem so heavy. So, I started just smashing them and mixing them with less cream, less butter and more herbs or as in this version, dijon mustard. The result? Delicious! 

So good!

Smashed Potatoes**

makes 2 large or 4 smallish servings 

12-18 (depending on size) small yellow potatoes

2-3 Tbsp of dijon mustard, use smaller amount for a hint of dijon, larger amount for a stronger flavor. (I used a Tbsp of regular dijon mustard and 2 Tbsp of mild & creamy dijon mustard)

1/3 C heavy cream

1-2 tsp of your favorite dry herb or herb blend

3 Tbsp of salted butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

*you can also add cheese if you like as well, Cambozola, Parmesan, Cheddar or Soft Goat cheese work really well.

In a 3qt pot, place potatoes and fill to just over halfway with water and boil until potatoes are just fork tender, about 20-25 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, place the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir. Once potatoes are done, drain them and place in bowl with cream mixture. Using a fork or the back of a spoon, smash the potatoes. Be careful not to smash completely, you want to have some chunks for interesting texture. Depending on the size and amount of potatoes you used, you may need to add more cream or butter and adjust your seasonings to taste. 

Can be served either, hot, warm or room temp. Enjoy!

**This is really a recipe you can totally make your own! Add anything that sounds good to you. Next time, I might add, caramelized onions, or shallots, bacon or prosciutto would also be amazing! Be creative!

Happy Cooking!

~erin