Potatoes and Gravy

[Megan Hobza]

Because they're served with a flavorful gravy, we're making fairly conventional mashed potatoes. The combination of cashew cream and vinegar has the effect of adding sour cream. You'll adjust the salt, pepper, and cayenne to your taste.

Potatoes

• 3 lbs potatoes, cut in half, skins on, boiled, drained (reserve 2 cups cooking water)
• 1 cup cashew cream (3/4 cup raw cashews soaked overnight with water and blended)
  
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp black pepper, ½ tsp. cayenne, more to taste

Mash ingredients together using potato masher (or immersion blender, but don’t blend too much - keep it chunky). Taste and adjust.


Mushroom Gravy

• 2 lbs mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 onions, minced
• 1 c cooking oil
• 1 T salt
• fresh thyme, sage and parsley
• ½ c + millet flour (or other flour, as needed)
• 3 c water

Fry mushrooms, garlic and onions in half the cooking oil.  Add fresh herbs and salt.  In a separate pot, heat the other half of the cooking oil and make a roux by sprinkling in flour and water and stirring vigorously to prevent lumps from forming.  Once the roux has incorporated all three cups of water and is thick, add mushroom mix and blend with an immersion blender.  Cook to reduce, if needed.