I was Netflixing recently and happened upon Young and Hungry; based on the title, I decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. This show is very charming and food plays a large role. Right from the first episode it is evident that there is a ton of food featured in this show, (so be prepared to see it written about more than just this once). The series follows Gabi, a young broke girl that lands a gig as a personal chef to a young tech millionaire. As Gabi tries to navigate her way in this job she is surrounded by funny characters and plenty of romantic hijinks.

These hijinks start in the very first episode. Gabi is still trying to land the personal chef job when Josh agrees to hire her if she can make a dinner for his girlfriend Caroline that will make her say yes to his marriage proposal. After Caroline breaks up with Josh the same day, he feels distraught and to comfort him Gabi feeds him mashed potatoes and they drink lots of booze. Josh and Gabi end up having a one-night stand. They decide to keep it a secret, which causes her to have complicated romantic feelings for Josh.

It is after Caroline breaks up with Josh and before he sleeps with Gabi that the potatoes become significant. Josh is feeling hopeless and empty. He says that nothing will make him feel better after losing Caroline but audibly perks up at Gabi’s mention of her mashed potatoes. He starts to eat them and there is a visual change in his mood; he is less upset about his situation. Every time he gets visibly upset about the breakup Gabi literally shoves more potatoes in his mouth.  Josh ends up giving a toast to the mashed potatoes and tells Gabi about how much it made him feel better. Mashed potatoes are by culinary definition a comfort food. They are used in this episode in a very literal way to comfort Josh.

To make these I did some research and I liked the idea of using white truffle butter then I did actual truffles. I read that the butter would carry the flavor better and is much easier to deal with. I am fortunate enough to live within a reasonable distance of a huge international grocery store so I knew they would have it there. If you aren’t as fortunate, some grocery stores do carry truffle butter in their gourmet section. I am sure that a lot of specialty and gourmet stores will have it as well; you can also order it online. So, once I tracked down the white truffle aspect of the dish, it was just a matter of incorporating that into a solid mashed potatoe recipe.

I like to use Russet or Idaho potatoes for mashed potatoes because they are starchier and can hold cream and butter really well. A lot of people prefer to use Gold Yukons for mashing because they are known to make a more flavorful dish. However, they are more difficult to get smooth than the other potatoes. I wanted something that would hold the add-ins well and make a nice smooth dish so I went with my preferred potato but you can use anything you like.

I cut them up into one inch chunks and boiled them and when they were really soft, I drained them. While I was waiting for them to be done I melted the butter in a saucepan and added one cup of whole milk, half n half or cream would work here too if that’s what you have on hand.  I let that simmer and thicken a bit. I pulled it off the heat and added the truffle butter; stirring until it melted. Then I added the liquid to the poatatoes and mashed. I use a hand masher but a hand blender would also work well for this too.

I really enjoyed these potatoes! I don’t mess with my mashed potatoes very often and my family likes them pretty basic, but they really liked these! As a matter of fact, I only got this one picture of them before they started eating them!You can taste the truffles and the butter but the flavors are not overpowering. This was great comfort food on a cold winter night and the truffles make the potatoes decadent enough to make them special. Although I wasn’t eating them out of heartache they did feel indulgent and I understood why they were chosen as a high end comfort item for Josh.

Gabi’s White Truffle Mashed Potatoes:

5ish Russet or Idaho potatoes

1 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons of butter

3oz White Truffle Butter

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut potatoes into 1 inch chunks and boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer about 20-25 minutes until very soft. Drain.
2. while potatoes are simmering melt butter in separate saucepan. Add the milk and let thicken a bit. Remove from heat and add truffle butter.
3. Once truffle butter is melted add the sauce mixture to drained potatoes and then mash with a masher for chunkier potatoes or use a hand blender for smoother potatoes.
4. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, to taste.