My kids are really into baked potatoes. Well, actually, mashed potatoes is what they like, but baked potatoes are fine because they’re easy to mash. Actually, I’m not so sure they even like the potato part. Like me, they seem to prefer all the stuff that one traditionally puts onto the baked potato. Sour cream, cheese, butter, and those artificial bacon bits.

That’s ok, but I don’t actually like potatoes all that much, and I get tired of the same topping every time. So I decided to try my hand at making aioli as a topping. This is a garlic-flavored mayonnaise. Having never made mayonnaise before, I decided to give it a try. The basic ingredients are egg yolk, oil, sometimes mustard, and a little acid. Some folks use the whole egg, and some recipes only call for the yolk. In any case, I’ve read that an immersion blender can make mayo quickly and easily, so I decided to give it a try.

The key seems to start with the egg yolk and a very small amount of oil, build the emulsion, and then gradually add the remaining oil. Otherwise it’s nearly impossible to get the mayo to stiffen or hold in an emulsion. I had a couple failed attempts, and finally got it right.

Aioli

Ingredients

• 1 egg, preferably at room temperature
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup oil

Instructions

Combine the egg, mustard, lemon juice, and about 2 tablespoons of oil. Blend until it forms a thick emulsion. This took about 30 seconds for me. Then slowly add the remaining oil a couple tablespoons at a time, blending for a few seconds each time to incorporate it. Add salt to taste.

I used the resulting aioli to create a bleu cheese salad dressing as well as for a potato topping. Pretty good, but actually too much raw garlic flavor. I think next time I’d cut back on the garlic or cook it slightly to soften the bite.