Mashed Potato Craters

I picked up the book: "Healthy Eating for your Baby & Toddler" at the library a couple of weeks ago. I am always on the look out for new ideas for recipes that will be both good for Zeke as well as tasty for all of us. This one doesn't require many ingredients, but it was really good and was easy for Zeke to eat. I actually let him eat it on his own and he did pretty good with a spoon, although he ended up eating it with his fingers because it was taking too long with a spoon.

Mashed Potato Craters
 ** by Renee Elliott
***Serves: 2 adults and 2 children

Ingredients: 2 1/4 lbs. Idaho potatoes, cut into 3/4 in. cubes (I peeled about half of these.)
2 carrots, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
3 garlic cloves (Next time I will probably use less, it was pretty strong.) 
1/2 t. salt
4 T. olive oil (I used half the amounts suggested; it was a little weird to us. She says as a variation you can use butter or gravy, which I might try next time.) 

Directions: Put the potatoes, carrots, and garlic in a steamer and steam, covered, over boiling water 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are soft. (I just boiled them, I don't have a steamer.) Remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl, reserving the steam water. Add the salt and a little of the steam water and blend, using an immersion blender, 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add additional steam water, if needed. Using a tablespoon, divide the mixture onto four plates, mounding each up into a "mountain." The two adult portions should be twice as big as the two child portions. Using a teaspoon, hollow a crater into the top of each mountain. Pour 4 teaspoons of the olive oil into the adult portions and 2 teaspoons into the child portions. Serve immediately.

To life... full of toddler food!