Another adventure in Paprika-thon! I saw several recipes online for various forms of mashed potatoes with paprika, but none of them looked quite right. Here is my own variation:
2 lbs red skinned potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
Cut potatoes into quarters. In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and add bay leaf. Over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute until onions are translucent and tender and garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Keep mixture moist, if onions become dry add more oil. Add smoked and sweet paprika and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Drain potatoes and discard bay leaf. Add onion mixture, milk, salt, and pepper to pot. Using a masher or electric mixer, beat potatoes to desired consistency.
To make it spicy, add chili pepper or powder to onion mixture when sauteing, or use Hot Hungarian Paprika instead of smoked or sweet paprika.
Shown below, garnished with a sprinkle of sweet paprika.
