Spicy Mashed Potatoes

Sometime ago my parents came visiting (the UK) and on one occasion I made them a British favourite, bangers and mash!

My dad is usually very open to trying new things and he made a very good attempt at eating it without complaining, in fact he finished it. My mum on the other hand was not that open. She had a taste of the mash and complained....(in Ekiti dialect) "e'lata" indicating that the food was not spicy enough; i.e. not enough chilli!

I kind of expected my mum's reaction because these are people who eat spicy food on a daily basis. Chillis feature heavily not just in my mother's cooking, but in food accross the lenght and breadth of Nigeria. In fact there is a local saying which goes...."emiti o jata emi yepere" (chillis are the spice of life!)

On this particular day, it would have taken me another hour or so to make my mum an alternative meal, particularly the one she would have wanted; so I decided to innovate....I spiced up the mashed potatoes to suit her palate! It worked. My mum was able to eat the mash (spiced up version) and I was saved the hassle of cooking something else from scratch....win/win.

Spicy Mashed Potatoes served with Gravy

I do enjoy regular mash with a good drizzle of gravy but on occasions, I crave the spiciness that regular mash lacks. So every now and then, I spice it up. It really is something different and quite exciting.

Check out how to make it below:

What you need

• Potatoes (choose the one ideal for mashing)
• Chicken breasts
• Freshly milled black pepper
• Salt
• Coconut oil
• Red peppers (finely diced)
• Onion (finely diced)
• Pre-made spicy pepper sauce (see recipe in one of my previous posts here)
• Gravy granules/mix (follow the instructions on the packaging to make some gravy)

What to do

1. Peel and boil the potatoes in some slightly salted water. 
2. As the potatoes boil, season the chicken breasts with some salt and black pepper and grill on a hot griddle.  
3. Also in a separate sauce pan, heat some coconut oil (alternatively you can use any other oil that's available or prefer) and sauté a handful of finely diced red peppers and onions. The amount you use should depend on the amount of potatoes. Season with a bit of black pepper and salt. Stir well and when the onions begin to brown add some pre-made spicy pepper sauce. Stir well together and set aside.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the excess water and transfer potatoes into a large bowl for mashing. 
5. With the potato masher, break the potatoes into a mash, then add the spicy pepper sauce and mix well. 
6. Serve with the grilled chicken and some gravy.

Spicy Mashed Potatoes