Minted Pea Smash

Mashed potatoes regularly visit my day dreams around this time of year.

 

I'm not quite sure who invites them along, but I'm pretty certain that the bed of crunchy leaves outside my doorstep or the fleecy pullovers hanging in my wardrobe might have something to do with it.

 

My point is, as soon a it gets cold, all I want to do is curl up with a dollop of creamy mash and hibernate the winter away. The problem? Those pesky little calories doing a little snuggling of their own down in my bowl.

 

Some things in life are truly unfair. But never fear, young chef. I come bearing a winter warming alternative.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my Minted Pea Smash.

It's low calorie, super delicious and easy peasy (no pun intended, I swear!) to knock up in a jiffy.

 

Serve it up as a mid-week dinner for two or put it on your dinner party menu. It's just as comforting as mash potato and it's looks a thousand times fancier. It's also a trillion (approx.) times better for you.

I served mine with piri piri roasted chicken and lemon mayo, but lamb cutlets or turkey would work fantastically. To make enough for two people, you'll need:

250g frozen peas

1 x fresh red chili, finely chopped

1 x large handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

A squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper to season

Boil your peas until they float to the top of your saucepan.

Drain them off and place in a big bowl. Now, grab your masher. Squash them about a bit so the peas pop and slightly mash. Don't go overboard here, you don't want to be left with bowl of soggy mush.

When you've got them to a good stage, add your chopped chili and mint. Give it a good mix and season to taste.

Just before you serve up, squeeze in a little lemon juice. The lemon gives the peas some zip zap zop and sets the chili off beautifully.

Plate up with your choice of meat and woolf it down like nobodies watching, totally guilt free.

Each serving rings in at around 130 calories, which is under half the amount in a serving of mashed potato made with semi skimmed milk. What's not to love?

Peaaaaaaaa-utiful.