By Week 399. Fall 2023. I am 40 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like cinnamon and falling leaves and this is my life. This is the life I built.
Tom made his trout on Friday, the way he does every Friday, and the fish was perfect, and the kitchen smelled like lemon and capers, and I sat at the table and ate fish that my partner caught and cooked and served, and the being-served is still a wonder after all these years.
Mason is 12 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.
Lily is 10 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.
I made apple pie this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.
Apple pie was this week’s centerpiece, but the meal around it — the one that anchored the table while the pie cooled on the counter — was something simpler and just as essential. Mashed potatoes and gravy have been part of this kitchen as long as anything else has, the kind of dish that doesn’t ask much of you and gives everything back. After 399 weeks of cooking through cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls and trout on Fridays, I find that the food I return to most is the food that asks only for your hands and a little time — and this is that food.
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (for gravy)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Place the peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 18–22 minutes, until a fork slides in easily with no resistance.
- Drain and dry. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and return them to the hot pot. Let them sit over low heat for 1–2 minutes, shaking gently, to steam off any excess moisture — this is the step that keeps mashed potatoes fluffy rather than gluey.
- Mash and enrich. Add the cubed butter to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or hand mixer until the butter is fully incorporated. Gradually pour in the warm milk, mashing as you go, until you reach your preferred consistency. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, then taste and adjust.
- Make the roux. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until the mixture turns a light golden color and smells faintly nutty.
- Build the gravy. Slowly pour in the broth, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Bring the gravy to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until thickened to a pourable consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve. Spoon the mashed potatoes into a warm serving bowl, make a well in the center, and ladle the gravy over the top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 290 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 420mg