Oktoberfesting.

I'm not sure what all the fuss about Oktoberfest is about. Does anyone actually like German food? Maybe I just don't get the whole sausage and sauerkraut appeal, but it's always seemed a little bizarre. Maybe if I dressed up like the St. Pauli's girl when I eat it...

Either way, the husband and I like to make holiday-specific meals for this type of occasion...corned beef and cabbage for St. Paddy's day, Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, Thai Tom Ga soup for the Lakers' playoffs (I'm sure we'll get to that one day)...we're very equal-opportunity celebrators like that. And so we decided to put our German heritages to work and BBQ some beer brats and make mashed potatoes this weekend for Oktoberfest.

As usual, we're all about the condiments. He was excited for sauerkraut, I was happy about spicy mustard from Philippe's, and we even considered getting the mini keg of German beer for a little longer than we should have,eventually deciding Sam Adam's Octoberfest (for him) and vodka/diet tonics (for me) would suffice in the beverages department.

My potatoes, however, were the best part of the meal. Hands down. They may not be German, per se, but omg, they were good. If you don't like horseradish, leave it out, but we thought it added something yum to them.

I don't want to get all Rachel Ray and called them smashed potatoes, so we'll take the bagel route and call them my Everything Potatoes.




Everything Potatoes
5 red potatoes, peeled and chopped/cubed
1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup pre-grated 2% cheddar cheese (or mexican blend)
4 tbsp light sour cream
2 tsp horseradish (optional)
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp bacon pieces
Salt and Fresh pepper to taste

Cover potatoes with water, then boil til soft, about 10 minutes. Drain almost all the water out(leave just a splash in the pan), mash, and add remaining ingredients. Mix. Eat. Makes 4 big servings.
About 200 cals, 6g fat, 35g carbs, 4g fiber, 9g protein.