Where do you stand on mash?

[ClausIsTrulyReal]

I think it's rather pleasant to have for to sop up gravy, but I know that some MNers think it's a giant faux pas.

Hmm?

Biryani we must stop bumping into each other like this.

Done, toad in the hole, mash and some veggies for the Eve.

I must be deprived. We always use Bisto. How on earth do you make gravy??

For Christmas Day having mash and roast potatoes would be AMAZING!

When I was a child, we always had mash at Christmas dinner, as well as roast potatoes. I never fully understood why. As much as I love both good mash* and roast spuds, having both was a bit over the top. We never had it with normal Sunday roasts, only Christmas dinner. I don't have mash when I cook Christmas dinner myself, and it turns out the world has not fallen apart as a result.

Nonetheless, sausages, mash and gravy is a fine meal, and I am quite happy for mash to feature in meals using up Christmas leftovers.

• Sadly, there are many examples of mash which aren't good. [ Looks accusingly at work canteen. ]

I had no idea other people had gravy with their regular sunday dinners too

Surely it's not a proper Sunday roast without gravy?

I make gravy by taking the roasting pan, while the meat is resting on a plate, and adding some water and some flour or cornflour to thicken it. Sometimes add some extra stock if I have some. You need to stir while it heats, as otherwise, the flour will go lumpy rather than just thicken the gravy.

Good gravy is fantastic, and almost a meal in itself.

And toad-in-the-hole is easy, but like with yorkshire puddings, it works better if you've got the fat really hot before you add the batter, because otherwise, it may not rise as well, and be rather dense.

Mash is for topping pies. Not for Christmas Day.

Surely it's not a proper Sunday roast without gravy?

Haha I meant mash! Of course gravy! But not any powdered granule offerings, they taste so bad to me.
I do it in a similar way to EBearhug, scoop the fat out of the tin after removing the meat, add a spoonful of flour, simmer to cook out the flour taste then add stock and a glass of wine, then reduce. Can take a while to get it down the to the right consistency. It's so yummy. I love Sundays :) However, I mainly love them as DP does the cooking.

Mash in a roast dinner seems bizarre to me It would no more occur to me to put mash with a roast dinner than it would to add a spoonful of spaghetti with it.

I love mash, but not with a roast, so it's roasties only with Christmas dinner, cooked in goose dripping so they are golden crunchy and delicious.

We use Mr Mash because it's cheaper than buying potatoes.

Really? Given the fact that a bag of potatoes can be used for a huge range of things.

Mash and roasties and hot crisps.

Yes but they take a lot of prep and time, which we are usually short of.

I like mash but why on earth would you eat it in preference to roast potatoes?! Roasties all the way here. Save the mash for cottage pie and sausages, thanks.

Roasties and mash ideally.
If just one then roasties
Roasties have to be properly done in duck fat and not some cheap crap from farmfoods (I am lookig at mil here).
Sprouts should be fresh and also not cheap frozen ones that are soggy on the outside and frozen in the middle.

One year mil served up mushy peas as well.

I would choose mash over roasties any day.

For Christmas we always have mash and roast potatoes

I also have sweet corn because I like it and its Christmas so I'll eat what I bloody well want

We have roasts AND mash AND carrot & swede mash. Mind you, we often have all those for a normal roast dinner. I don't think it's anything unusual as my mum always did them though I've grown to realise it's because my Dad is soooo fussy and doesn't like most veg

Roast potatoes, duchesse potatoes and potato croquettes for Christmas dinner here - controversial I know but we always had croquettes growing up so it just wouldn't be Christmas dinner otherwise.

We also have beef and turkey, Yorkshire puddings, 4 veg (sprouts, cauliflower cheese, carrots and parsnips) plus the usual stuffing and pigs in blankets.

This is sort of marmitey.

There is NO MIDDLE GROUND.

Roast potatoes and mashed parsnips is my preference (would be happy with mashed swede as well). But the rest of the family like roast parsnips, sadly.