Pesto Mashed Potatoes -- The Room in the Week

The week between Christmas and New Year's. My favorite week, always. I spent it working on Banchan Labs and doing, otherwise, nothing. Launch is three weeks away. The first box ships January 16. I am in the final push.

Monday and Tuesday I was at the SoDo kitchen packing test-boxes. Grace came both days. We packed ten trial boxes to ship to friends, family, and two food bloggers. The boxes went out Wednesday. Feedback starts coming in Thursday — Priya (kind, specific, useful suggestions about the recipe card fonts), Sarah (the founder, practical, told me to add a welcome letter I had forgotten), Karen (an all-caps text saying "STEPHANIE THE PACKAGING IS BEAUTIFUL I LOVE YOU"), Jisoo (via Hye-jin, who had been sent one and opened it with her — Jisoo said, crying, "I see my hands in this box. Yes. Yes.").

One of the bloggers posted an unboxing on Instagram Friday night. 18,000 views by Saturday afternoon. The waitlist jumped to 3,100. I panicked briefly. I emailed Sarah. She said, "This is the good kind of panic. Your first box inventory is limited. That is okay. Sell it. Delight the people you serve. Scale later." I am going to sell the first box to the first 300 people on the waitlist. The rest will have to wait for Box Two in February. This is the actual shape of launching a business.

Kevin and Lisa are in Kauai. Kevin sent me a photo Saturday morning of a mai tai with the words, "The V60 is not here." I laughed for a full minute.

James and I had a long conversation on Wednesday night about the year. What we want next year. He said, "I want to help you build this." I said, "I know." He said, "I also want to start trying to have a baby." I put down my glass. I said, "Okay." He said, "I know the timing is terrible. The company is launching. Karen is declining. It is a lot. And it is also not getting easier as we get older. I want to start when we are ready, which is a window, not a moment." I said, "Okay. I hear you. Let me think." He said, "Take your time." I have been thinking. I am, I think, yes. Not immediately. After the launch. This spring. I will tell him next week. I will tell Dr. Yoon tomorrow.

The recipe this week is doenjang jjigae, Jisoo's version, which I made twice. Both times I thought about Jisoo's kitchen. Both times I thought about starting a baby. Both times I thought about Karen's shaking hand on the pie crust. The stew held all of it. A good stew is roomy. A good stew is why I have kept cooking the same dish for six years. The room in the stew is the room in the week. This week had room. This year had room. I will keep cooking.

Doenjang jjigae was the dish in my heart this week, but pesto mashed potatoes were what I made on Wednesday night while James and I talked — something warm on the stove while we said the big things out loud. There is something about stirring a pot of mashed potatoes, folding in the green, watching it come together, that felt exactly right for a week that was asking me to hold a lot at once. Comfort food does not have to be Korean to be mine. Sometimes it just has to be warm, and ready, and there.

Pesto Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream, warmed
• 1/3 cup basil pesto, plus more for serving
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pot
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes. Place the potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold, well-salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until the potatoes are completely tender and pierce easily with a fork, about 18–22 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
2. Dry the potatoes. Return the drained potatoes to the hot pot over low heat. Shake the pot gently for about 1 minute to evaporate excess moisture. This step makes your mash fluffier and helps the pesto bind rather than pool.
3. Mash. Remove from heat. Add the butter pieces and mash with a potato masher or ricer until smooth and no large lumps remain. Do not over-work them or they will turn gluey.
4. Add the milk. Pour in the warm milk or cream gradually, stirring with a wooden spoon after each addition, until the potatoes reach your preferred consistency — loose and creamy, or thick and scoopable, both are right.
5. Fold in the pesto. Add the 1/3 cup pesto and stir gently to combine, creating a rippled, green-flecked mash. Season with salt and pepper, tasting as you go.
6. Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with an extra spoonful of pesto and scatter Parmesan over the top if using. Serve immediately while hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 35g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 370mg