Published: November 01. 2012 2:18PM

Written by Janet Poleski
Photographed by David Poleski

Mashed potatoes: They are always among the Top 10 comfort foods.

They can be so humble yet so elegant. Here are a few different spins on the “normal” mash that would work beautifully on your Thanksgiving table, at your next dinner party or for a satisfying supper any night of the week. I am not typically a gadget girl, but I love, love, love my potato ricer — it looks like gigantic garlic press, and gets the potatoes to the perfect size for fluffiness while retaining texture. I really think it is essential for making the perfect potatoes.

Whether you choose to try the rustic smashed potatoes with bacon, blue cheese and horseradish, the silky-smooth roasted sweet potato, butternut and carrot mash, the unusual-but-awesome Jerusalem artichoke puree or the flavorful fennel mashed potatoes, these mashes will make an excellent addition to any entree.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bacon, Blue Cheese and Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

Serves 8

• 3 pounds of red potatoes or Yukon Golds

• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 8 ounces sour cream

• 2 tablespoons horseradish

• 8 ounces crumbled blue cheese

• ½ – 1 cup milk

Slice potatoes in half and put in pot. Cover with 1 inch of salted, cold water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 25 – 35 minutes or until soft. Drain potatoes, pass through potato ricer or food mill and put back in warm pot. Add crumbled bacon, sour cream and horseradish; stir to combine. Add milk as necessary to perfect consistency. Add crumbled blue cheese and fold in. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Potato, Butternut and Carrot Mash

Serves 8

• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds)

• 3 medium sweet potatoes

• 3 – 4 large carrots

• Olive oil for drizzling

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• ¼ – ½ cup orange juice, as needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash, peel, and cut squash (scrape shell interior and discard seeds), sweet potatoes and carrots into 1-inch chunks. Spread chunks on two sheet pans (to prevent crowding). Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Mix well to coat and spread in one layer. Roast 30 – 45 minutes or until chunks are soft. Mash in food processor until smooth, adding a little orange juice if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Jerusalem Artichoke Purée

Serves 8

• 3 pounds Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

• 2 cups milk

• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

• 1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced

Simmer artichokes in milk in a heavy pot, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes. With immersion blender or food processor purée artichokes, milk, parmesan, and sage until smooth.

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Fennel Mashed Potatoes

Serves 8

3 pounds of Yukon Golds or other boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 medium fennel bulbs with fronds (about 1 – 1½ pounds)

1 – 1½ cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

Cover potatoes with salted, cold water. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer and cook until tender, about 20 – 30 minutes. Drain and put back in pot. Press through potato ricer or mash with masher. While potatoes are cooking, trim fennel stalk to the bulb. Reserve the fronds but discard the skinny stalks. Quarter, then slice the bulbs into ¼-inch slices. Chop fronds and reserve one quarter of fronds for garnish. Gently poach remainder of chopped fronds and all the sliced fennel in milk until very tender, about 25 – 30 minutes. Puree fennel milk with immersion blender until smooth; add to potatoes. Mix in and mash with potato masher and add butter and more milk if needed. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.