10 ways with mashed potatoes

On a grey rainy day last week, I test drove a new-to-me car. I picked it up on another rainy day. The next morning, there was an inch of snow on it. None of this would matter, except that it's a convertible. Mad. I still haven't driven it with the roof down. And now we're into winter comfort food: lunch at the weekend was game stew and mash, just what was needed now the weather's closing in till spring.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall found 11 things to add to mash this weekend ... on top of the 100g of butter and 200ml of hot milk he adds per kilo of potatoes (or 100ml each of cream and milk).

Here, mashing is both favourite and least favourite way to cook potatoes. Some people like them better than any; others say it's a waste of a good potato. Sometimes I find myself making two types of potatoes. Who says I'm not an indulgent wife and mother?

Here are 5 ways I make mash:

1. When I'm mashing potatoes, I routinely add milk, nearly always skimmed
2. Sometimes, I add a good dollop of grainy mustard; good with ham
3. A spoonful of grated horseradish (from a jar, as I don't grow it) is delicious with roast beef
   
4. Olive oil added to mash instead of milk is particularly good with fish, or if you're going to use the potato as a pie topping
5. Or you can use a little cheese (and something from the onion family finely chopped) to perk up a pie of leftovers

HFW does all that and more:

1. Add some unpeeled cloves of garlic to the pot with the potatoes, then squeeze the puree out and beat into the mash
2. Add a few slices of caramelized shallot and some Bramley puree for a mash to go with roast pork
3. Infuse the milk with a bay leaf and grated lemon zest (to accompany fish)
4. Add Jerusalem artichokes and nutmeg (roast lamb)
5. Grated cheese and roasted chopped poblano chillies, to go with steak. Steak??? Is he mad? If steak, then chips, no question.

What do YOU do with mash? I'd love to know, it's my favourite