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1
Preheat the oven to 350
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2
Cover the bottom of a small baking dish in a layer of salt about 1/2 inch deep. Lay the shallots, unpeeled, on top. Roast them for 45 minutes.
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3
Let them cool, peel them and put them in a food processor.
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4
Add the cream, lemon, Dijon, and salt. Puree until the cream whips.
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5
Try not to eat all of this right away with a spoon. It's better in the potatoes. Promise.
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6
You have a choice here. If you prefer straight mashed potatoes, then finish boiling the potatoes to a cooked consistency. If, on the other hand, you want to gussie this up a bit, par-boil your potatoes for additional cooking later on
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7
Whichever you chose, slice the potatoes into coins, smash them with a potato smasher and blend up the remaining bits with an immersion blender. This will be more of a chore if you par-boiled them.
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8
Add the cumin and paprika. Stir and stir (and stir.)
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9
Spoon in the whipped shallot cream. Stir and stir (and stir.) Blend again with the immersion blender to achieve a smoother consistency.
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10
OPTIONAL: If you've followed the par-boiled trail, this is where you get to have fun. Put the mostly-cooked potato mixture into an oven-safe bowl. Top with the breadcrumbs (the surface area of the dish will dictate the quantity of breadcrumbs). Bake the mixture for another 10 minutes at 350, toasting the crumbs and finishing the potatoes.
