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I love potatoes, I love Hokkaido, obviously I love Hokkaido potatoes! Hokkaido, if you’re not familiar, is the Northern most island of Japan. It’s often referred to the bread basket of Japan – the wide fields, low-humidity, and sunny climate are perfect for rice, vegetable, and dairy farming. Hokkaido is well-known for it’s milk products (especially ice cream), seafood, and potatoes.

When Mike and I were in Niseko (more on that soon!), I knew I had to make mashed potatoes with Hokkaido potatoes, milk, and butter. It was dream come true – a trifecta of Hokkaido produce. I was uber excited to go to the market and shop for local ingredients, but after a bad tumble while snowboarding, Mike kindly suggested I rest up while he went out for groceries. I happily hung out by the fire, and when he came home, I squealed over not just one type of potato, but two! They were grown right in Kutchan, which, is especially known for potatoes, even in Hokkaido, the land known for potatoes.

The Kutchan potatoes were earthy, smooth, and slightly sweet. They were fantastic mashed and we had a very, very good thick-cut plate of Kutchan fries at a local pub. I’m sad I didn’t get to try more potato dishes, but so lucky to have gotten to cook with them once in my life!

This recipe works with regular potatoes, of course, but if you ever have a chance, I hope you get to try Hokkaido potatoes. They really are something special.

Hokkaido Mashed Potatoes Recipe
serves 2
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 30 minutes

• 4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• butter, for the pan
• mushrooms of choice
• greens of choice

I used Hokkaido potatoes, butter, and milk, but you can sub in whichever potatoes you have on hand. If you’re in a particularly farm oriented part of the world, it would be fun to do whatever local produce you can get your hands on. I would totally want to try this with PEI (Canadian) potatoes, butter, and milk!

Start out with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup milk and adjust to taste. I find that mashed potatoes are a very personal preference. Some people like them stiffer and some people like them quite loose. Using a sieve to “rice” lets you have fluffy, smooth mashed potatoes, regardless of how much butter and milk you add.

I used shimeiji mushrooms, you can use whichever mushrooms you have on hand. The greens picture here are mizuna, which is similar to arugula, but much less peppery. Use your favorite greens.

Place the potatoes in a pot, covered with cold water. Salt the water generously and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer, until the potatoes are soft and fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well.

Place the butter in a large bowl and place a sieve on top and using a wooden spoon, or spatula, push the cooked potatoes through the holes. When all the potatoes are pushed through (this acts like a makeshift ricer), stir to incorporate the butter. Return the potatoes to the pot and add the milk, stirring over low heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper, adding butter and milk if desired.

In a frying pan, heat up a bit of butter over medium-high heat. Sear the mushrooms, until slightly charred, flipping as needed, about 2-3 minutes. Add the greens to the pan, briefly wilting.

Serve the potatoes, topped with mushrooms and wilted greens.

buttermilkpotatoes