Browned Mashed Potatoes

A way of finishing leftover or freshly made mashed potato so it comes to the table with a crust. The recipe assumes you already have hot, well-seasoned mash on the stove.

• "A strong vegetable dish"Here a thick earthenware or metal serving dish that could go from oven to table without cracking. A shallow gratin dish, a pie plate or a cast-iron skillet all work; anything glass should be oven-safe and not straight from the refrigerator.
• "A hot oven"Period "hot oven" is usually taken as somewhere around 400-450F. The potato is already cooked, so the aim is only colour on the surface.
• Shallow, not deepDepth -- the recipe says only to fill the dish. A shallower layer, an inch or so, will heat through and colour more evenly than a deep one.
• The flour dustingThe thin sift of flour helps set the crust, taking up the melted butter. Use a fine sieve or a shaker and keep it sparse; a heavy coat tastes raw and floury. Fine dry breadcrumbs or grated hard cheese are sometimes used in the same way.
• Butter quantityNone is given. Figure 1 to 2 tablespoons dotted over the surface for a dish serving four to six, or brush on melted butter for more even coverage.
• Rough up the surfaceDraw a fork across the top in ridges before buttering. The raised edges catch the heat and give the browning something to grip.
• TimingFifteen to twenty minutes at that heat, with the mash going in hot. If the top is still pale but the dish is heated through, two or three minutes under the broiler finishes it.
• Season firstThe recipe says nothing about seasoning the mash, and once the crust is on nothing more can be stirred in, so taste before it goes into the dish.