Irio [Kenya]

Ingredients

3-4 medium white potatoes
2.5 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cooked sweet corn
0.33 cup peas
0.5 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp butter
salt to taste
a splash of milk

This is a great side straight from Kenya. It's basically the mashed potatoes and vegetables you find sitting next to a steak, all mixed together. With a touch of magic or something. It works beautifully.

Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes, and toss into a saucepan of boiling water. Let them sit until the potatoes are fully cooked and very soft.

Separately add the peas to a pot of water so the water just covers the peas. Boil until most of the water evaporates, then throw on the finely chopped spinach over low heat. Add in the minced garlic and one teaspoon of butter, and allow the spinach to cook until soft. This will take less than a minute.

When ready, add the potatoes to the saucepan and mash the potatoes, peas, and spinach together. Add the butter, salt and milk as necessary. When done, throw in the corn and mix well.

Irio is a Kenyan form of mashed potatoes, traditional among the Kikuyu. Irio is a staple, and quite literally means "food". There are lots of variations, some using pumpkin leaves instead of spinach, some using lima beans, some without milk, some with chicken broth. This is how I remember it- lots of butter, easy on the peas.