Perfect Mashed Potato

1 Use a potato peeler to pare off the potato skins as thinly as possible and cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks - not too small; if they are large, quarter them, and if small, halve them. 2 Put the potato chunks in a steamer fitted over a large pan of boiling water, sprinkle the salt all over them, put a lid on and steam the potatoes until absolutely tender - they should take about 20-25 minutes. 3 The way to check they are ready is to pierce them with a skewer in the thickest part: they should not be hard in the centre - if they are slightly underdone, you will get lumps. 4 When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the steamer, drain off the water, return to the saucepan and cover with a clean tea cloth for about four minutes to absorb some of the steam. Add the butter, milk and creme fraiche. 5 When you first go in with the whisk, use a slow speed to break the potatoes up, increase it to high and whip up to a smooth, creamy, fluffy mass. Taste and, if they need it, season. 6 For Low-Fat Mashed Potatoes: Replace the butter, milk and creme fraiche with 5oz/150g Quark (skimmed-milk soft cheese) and 2-3 tbsp semi-skimmed milk. Per serving: 132 Calories (kcal); 14g Total Fat; (94% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 40mg Cholesterol; 128mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 3 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates Converted by MM_Buster v2.0n.