Confession: I hate mashed potatoes. OK, that's not entirely true, but I'm almost never impressed by mashed potatoes. They always kind of taste like defeat to me, a signal that the person choosing a side for boeuf d'something or charred broccolini couldn't be bothered to think too much about it. <br /> <br />Then this fall we stopped in Denver at Vesta Dipping Grill, which emphasizes simple dishes complimented by an array of sauces. One of them was a seemingly-simple shallot cream sauce. We talked about it for days. I scoured recipe websites and only found half-measures (we also watch a lot of Breaking Bad). The closest I found was on Australia's Mornington Peninsula, where Chef Stuart Bell paired a shallot cream sauce with tuna: http://fandw.me/123DLz1 <br /> <br />For Thanksgiving, our CSA dumped us with, yes, potatoes. I can't tell you a russet gold from a Yukon, uh, Gold. But my wife insisted that typically lame potatoes plus our new friend shallot cream would make us both happy. I wasn't sure, but hey, who am I to argue on a day where I get to watch 12 straight hours of football. <br /> <br />I like potatoes smashed, skins on, so I didn't peel these, but peel away if that's your preference. First, par-boil them for five to seven minutes. This can be done the night before. <br /> <br />The result below is that marital keystone: compromise. We ended up liking it, and hope you do too.

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