Crisp mashed potatoes the ultimate comfort food
Family-favourite casserole gets a lighter treatment, but retains flavour
This recipe is a tradition that snuck up on my family. My grandmother Debbie made it every Passover and Rosh Hashanah for as long as I can remember and, my mom says, for as long as she can remember, too. No one knows where the recipe came from. However she came up with it, the dish is now firmly a part of our family and one I am happy to share with you here.
This version of crisp-topped mashed-potato casserole with spinach captures the essence of my grandmother's version, but with a few enhancements from me. It starts, as she had made it, with boiling and mashing potatoes with olive oil and broth. But I thought it would be nice to add some cauliflower to the mash, too, for another layer of flavour and lighter texture. The cauliflower cooks in the same pot, and at the same time, as the potatoes, so it is no extra effort. I add a handful of garlic cloves to the pot, too, which become soft and mellow with cooking. And I keep the skins on the potatoes for three reasons: I like the texture they add, it saves the trouble of peeling them, and it retains valuable fibre and nutrients. (But feel free to peel them.)
Half of the mash is layered into a casserole dish, then that is topped with chopped spinach that has been sautéed with onion, salt and pepper. The remaining potato mixture is smoothed on top of that, and then sprinkled with either matzo meal (for Passover) or bread crumbs (for any other occasion), which have been tossed with a bit of oil.
The casserole bakes until it's crisp and browned on top.