This recipe is a riff on the Broccoli recipe I sent along a couple of weeks ago. I had planned on making the broccoli but I also wanted mashed potatoes. I realized that the two dishes were going to share the element of garlic butter, so I decided to combine them together. I had to cook the broccoli a little longer than I normally would to make sure that I could mash it. You can use just the stems, as the title states, or the entire head, but definitely include the stems as their texture combines more naturally with the spuds.
Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil.
Peel the stems from 2-3 heads of broccoli, then dice them into small pieces. If using the florets, cut them into small pieces.
Measure the total volume of the broccoli you plan on using. You will need an equal amount of potatoes: 1 Cup for 1 Cup, 2 Cups for 2 Cups, etc. Rinse potatoes, cut into chunks, and measure them out.
Heat 3 T. salted butter (or olive oil) in a medium-sized skillet and add 2-3 cloves of peeled garlic, either minced or pressed in a garlic press. Saute on low heat.
Drop the pieces of stem into the boiling water and cook until very tender. Remove with a slotted spoon.
If you are using the florets, parboil them separately until they are still bright green but also very tender. They shouldn’t have any crispness left to them. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Add the broccoli stems and florets, if using, to the pan with the garlic butter and still to combine. Continue to saute, raising the heat a little.
Add more water to the pot if necessary, then drop the potatoes in when the water is boiling. Boil on medium high until the potatoes are quite tender. Remove with a slotted spoon but don’t toss the water yet.
Add the broccoli and potatoes in a large bowl. Use a potato masher to mash everything together roughly, then use an electric mixer to whip everything into a smooth mash. Add more liquid if necessary — either cooking water or milk, or some of each. Season with lots of black pepper plus salt and/or more butter to taste.