Best Mashed Potatoes Ever!

We had a wonderful, yummy Thanksgiving Day--around the dining room table we named some of the small things we take for granted that we are thankful for: fall leaves, fireplaces, tweezers, sunrises, socks, chocolate and much more. Baby Bird and I tried to prepare a lot of the meal ahead of time, both on Wednesday and early Thursday morning. Pies and sweet potatoes baked on Wednesday, Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (flavored with orange and Cointreau) prepared on Tuesday, mashed potatoes early Thursday AM, along with a Cranberry and Pecan stuffing. In recent years we have opted for turkey breast as no one seems to really eat the dark meat, we had two breasts and used a sweet Apple Cider glaze on one  and the other  roasted with savory herbs (rosemary, sage and thyme, mixed with olive oil, lemon juice and dry mustard); they only needed to roast  for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 hours and while they "rested" we cooked the peas and heated rolls and stuffing. Sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes were reheated in the microwave. Turkey and cranberry sauce were SO GOOD, but the mashed potatoes: Best Mashed Potatoes EVER! When I cook, I often improvise and don't measure most ingredients so if you ever decide to try out these mashed potatoes, just use common sense on amounts:

Partially peel russet potatoes (enough for the number of people you are serving, plus two extras),cut into pieces. Gently boil until fork tender, drain and mash with potato masher (we like ours a bit lumpy), add butter and milk--be sure not to overdo the liquid (they should be slightly dry), add sour cream and chives, mix well. While the potatoes are boiling, slice 4-5 shallots and caramelize in butter and olive oil--if they are a slight bit crunchy, all the better. When shallots are caramelized and potatoes mashed, incorporate shallots into the potato mixture. Before serving or re-heating, add a small amount of chicken broth and stir well.

Thankful for Mashed Potatoes!