The mushrooms for this were great. My only complaint was that there weren't nearly enough of them! And, although the potatoes smelled delicious, they weren't quite as flavourful as their aroma implied. I mean, they were still tasty, they just didn't quite live up to expectations. Next time I think I'd double the garlic and onion and add a touch more salt. (I'll make these changes to the recipe below.) And, if you happen to have any roasted garlic paste on hand, I wouldn't hesitate to add a generous teaspoon of that either instead of or as well as the garlic powder.

After tasting the potatoes and mushrooms (and seeing all the delicious, delicious mushroom residue in the bottom of the roasting pan) I decided that a pan sauce/gravy would go a long way toward giving this meal a little more oomph. A bit of water, flour, butter, and heat produced a lovely dark and aromatic gravy. I'm excited to try it with the leftovers tonight!

Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms with Kale Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Budget Byte$

Ingredients

Mushrooms

If you like mushrooms as much as I do, I recommend doubling all these quantities.

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 450-500g cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 small red onion, sliced (optional)

Mashed Potatoes

• ~1kg russet (or other starchy) potatoes
• 150-175g black kale¹, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 Tbsp. fresh (or lightly dried) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. fresh (or lightly dried) basil, chopped²
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder (or 1 tsp. dried chopped onion)
• 1/4 c. Parmesan (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• pepper, to taste

Gravy

• 1 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. salted butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour (any type)

Directions

Mushrooms

1. Combine olive oil, balsamic, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and thyme and mix well.
2. Place mushrooms and onion (if using) in roasting pan and toss with balsamic mixture to coat.
3. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes, stirring and turning halfway through.

Potatoes

1. Cut potatoes into 1" cubes, place in pot and cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil and boil until tender. (~7-10 minutes)
3. Drain potatoes, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the water.
4. Add kale to (now empty) pot with the reserved water and olive oil.
5. Cover and cook on medium-high for 3-5 minutes.
6. Remove from pot and set aside.
7. Return potatoes to empty pot and add sour cream, milk, parsley, oregano, basil (if using), garlic powder, onion powder, Parmesan (if using), salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings.
8. Mash potatoes to desired consistency, making sure to mix everything well.
9. Stir in kale.

Gravy

1. Remove mushrooms (and onions) from roasting pan and set aside.
2. Place roasting pan over medium heat and add 1/2 c. of water and scrape to deglaze the pan and release any stuck on bits.
3. Add butter, continuing to scrape and stir to lift as much as possible from the pan.
4. Sift in 2 Tbsp. of flour.
5. Allow to cook for a minute or so.
6. Stir in remaining cup of water. Keep stirring and mixing to help break up the lumps and clumps that will have likely formed.
7. Continue to cook (and stir) until gravy reaches desired consistency.

Assembly

1. Scoop 1/4 of the potatoes into a bowl.
2. Top with 1/4 of the mushrooms.
3. Pour a little gravy over and enjoy!

I've already noted my doubt about the basil in the footnotes. In thinking about it though, I think I'd like to experiment with adding more herbs and seasonings to these potatoes in general. I think the parsley, oregano, onion, and garlic work well, but there's room for improvement. I think next time I'd like to try adding 1/4 tsp. each of dried rosemary and thyme. And maybe a tsp. or so of fresh tarragon. I think the tarragon would go particularly well if you were including carrots in the mash. If you're having the potatoes on their own, without the mushrooms, I think fresh chives and parsley would be very nice in them. There are lots of different options here. Just a few tweaks could give you something that tastes completely different!

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¹ I only had one small bunch of kale left. I didn't bother weighing it, but I doubt it was anywhere near 150g. I decided to stretch it by mixing it with some chopped cabbage. I ended up using one small bunch of kale + 1/4 of a small head of cabbage. I'm pretty happy with the results. The cabbage works well with the potato. It definitely has a little less presence than the kale, but I actually like the mix of textures and flavours. I think it would be interesting to experiment with mixing other veggies in either instead or as well. I think carrots, sweet potatoes, and rutabagas/swedes would all work pretty well. I could also see creamed corn being a nice inclusion. Maybe even a bit of cauliflower. There are all sorts of options! Use what you have on hand and experiment. ^Back
2 I'm not entirely sold on the inclusion of basil here. It just doesn't feel like it jives with the rest of the dish and basil + potatoes is not a combo I'm used to seeing/tasting. I think maybe next time I'd experiment with adding a little dried rosemary (maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp.) to the potatoes instead. ^Back