Savory potato mushroom buttermilk cupcakes

Ingredients

Vegetables
3 to 4 small potatoes, diced 1/4 inch
1 small onion, diced
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups sliced mushrooms (your favorite varieties)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. minced herbs, such as rosemary, sage, chives or other favorites
1/4 cup white wine

Batter
1/2 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cooked diced potato
2/3 cup cooked mushroom mixture
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 to 2 cups herbed or Parmesan cream cheese

Directions

To make vegetables: Boil diced potato until just tender; drain and set aside to cool. In a separate pan, sauté onion in oil and a dash of salt and pepper until onion starts to turn translucent. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms go limp and liquid is almost cooked off. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add herbs and white wine, and cook and stir until most of the liquid has cooked off. Add salt and pepper to taste, then set aside to cool.

To make batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix butter, sugar and salt on medium to medium-high speed until fluffy and pale, scraping down the bowl a few times during this process. Mix in egg, scrape down the bowl, and mix again until fluffy and uniform. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Combine flour mixture into butter mixture in three parts, alternating with buttermilk in two parts, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in potato, mushroom mixture and Parmesan. Divide batter into muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops of cakes barely spring back when gently pressed. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with cream cheese.

Makes about 12 cupcakes