Holiday treats fun to make, and eat

Something old, something new is as good a recipe for holiday cooking as for June weddings, and wonderful cooks spend the holiday season in a flurry of cooking and baking. They locate new recipes to grace their decorated tables, creating a balance between tradition and innovation.

A new twist on plain mashed potatoes might be just what you’re looking for. And snack or dessert recipes are always welcome this time of year. Try one or two, or all, of these recipes and watch the treats quickly disappear.

Here are some recipes our readers have found for each other.

Not Your Everyday Potatoes

Lillian Schuttpelz of Sioux City, Iowa, wrote in asking if someone has a recipe for mashed potatoes using egg whites. “My husband constantly raves about his mother’s mashed potatoes,” she wrote. “She used egg whites, somehow. They had to be good, because when the farmers gathered and the women cooked, they’d all request Marie’s mashed potatoes.”

Dais Richardson of Crawfordville, Florida, sent this recipe, with the added note, “Children love this one.”

Fancy Mashed Potatoes

6 potatoes, cooked and drained
3/4 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon salt or less
1/3 cup grated cheese
2 teaspoons mustard
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 egg whites

Add milk and salt to potatoes and mash until smooth. Add cheese, mustard and green onions; mix well.

Potatoes can be served at this point.

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil 1 1/2-quart baking dish.

Place potato mixture into prepared dish. Beat egg whites until very stiff and spread over potatoes. Bake 50 to 60 minutes and serve immediately.

Note: Mixture can be placed in prepared dish and then refrigerated for later use.

Irene Jahraus of Hebron, North Dakota, sent this version for leftover mashed potatoes, saying, “This tastes like fresh mashed potatoes. I used to do this when I had a lot of leftovers.”

Potato Puff

1 egg, separated
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon butter

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter 2-quart baking dish.

Beat egg white until stiff. Beat egg yolk until light and creamy. Fold egg white and egg yolk into mashed potatoes. Heap mixture into prepared dish; dot with butter. Bake 30 minutes. Yields 4 servings.