Toast the Peppercorns:

Cup of Yum
1. In a small saucepan, set over medium heat, add the peppercorns. Toast for about 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Pour the peppercorns into mortar and pestle. Alternatively you could add it to a spice grinder or pepper grinder. Mash up the peppercorns until all crushed. Set aside.
2. To Make the Potatoes:
3. In a 4-quart Dutch Oven, fill it up about 3/4 of the way with cold water. Peel the potatoes and place them in the Dutch Oven and set it over medium-high heat. Bring the potatoes to a boil and then bring down the heat to medium-low. This should keep them at a nice, steady simmer. Cook until very soft, about 35 minutes. Give them a taste and make sure they’re VERY soft. Pour the potatoes into a colander and immediately run them under cool water. Then immediately run the potatoes through a ricer, in batches, into the Dutch Oven. Repeat this step until you’ve worked your way through all of the potatoes.

To Mix Up the Potatoes:

1. In the pot with the mashed potatoes, pour in the buttermilk, softened butter, half of the ground up pepper, a few pinches of salt and heavy cream; mix it all together until smooth. Give it a taste and adjust the salt and cheese according to taste. I added about 2 teaspoons of salt in total.
2. To Serve:
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Make some swoops in the tops of the potatoes. Pour the melted butter on top and then add a few pinches of freshly ground pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano.

How to Make Ahead and Reheat:

1. Make the recipe straight through and then allow to come to room temperature. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge up to 2 days ahead.
2. When you’re ready to serve: Add a few tablespoons of heavy cream to the bottom of a medium-sized pot and place it over medium-low heat. Add the cold potatoes and cover the pot. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and then stir them. Cover the pot again and allow to warm up for about 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat until the potatoes are warm.
3. You can also microwave them lol.