Ahira's Hangar

Tusken Raider Taters

Tusken Raiders are fierce, mysterious creatures who wander the Tatooine desert, climbing sand dunes that llok mysteriously like these potato dunes.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound purplr or russet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
2 tablepoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill a large saucepan 2/3 full with water. Add teaspoon salt.

2. Using the vegetable peeler, peel the potatoes. Put a peeled potato on the cutting board. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Holding a potato half cut side down, slice it lengthwise into one inch slices. Now hold the slices and cut across them in the opposite direction to make one inch pieces. Be sure to keep your fingers clear of the knife blade. Add the potato to the pan. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.

3. Put the pan on the stove and switch the heat to high. Bring the water to a boil and boil the potatoes, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. (You can check by scooping out a piece of potato with a slotted spoon and poking the cube with a fork. It should go in easily.) Turn off the heat.

4. Put the colander in the sink. Remove the pan from the stove and por the water and potatoes into the colander. Be very careful, the steam from the boiling water can burn you!

5. Return the potatoes to the pan. Mash with a potato masher. Add the milk and the butter. Continue to mash until the butter and mil are mixed in. Potatoes can be as smooth or lumpy as you like. Season to tate with salt and pepper.

makes 2 servings.

Variation: if you want brown potatoes like the sand dunes of Tatooine, mash russet potatoes with two tablespoons of soy sauce.