The Classic Thanksgiving: Garlic-y Mashed Potatoes
What’s Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes? They’re a crowd pleaser and are always delicious, but I wanted to spruce up the recipe. I thought about different ways that I could elevate the classic mashed potatoes while still keeping it traditional. When I began playing around with ideas and brainstorming what approach I should take, I thought about how overpowering garlic can be. My mom, in fact, is so sensitive to garlic and can barely eat anything with garlic. A lightbulb went off in my head: Roasted garlic! It was such a great idea. Roasted garlic is perfect for mashed potatoes because its basically the same texture, so they would combine really nicely together. The best part is that you won’t have stinky breath and a stomach ache after eating this because roasting the garlic takes away that overpowering flavor. This is a super flexible recipe, so don’t feel the need to strictly follow it.
Ingredients
8-10 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup butter - browned
1/4 heavy cream
20 garlic cloves - roasted
EVOO
Salt and pepper
Directions
Start by roasting the garlic. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put the garlic in a saucepan and fill with oil until it covers all of the garlic. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 3 hours. Next, peel and dice your potatoes. It’s important to dice the potatoes the same way to ensure they cook evenly. Add the diced potatoes to a pot, fill with water, and leave it covered over medium heat. When it boils, add a handful of salt and keep uncovered until they are super soft to the touch of a fork, about 25-30 mins. Add the potatoes to a pot and mash to the desired consistency. Take your garlic out of the oven and pour majority of the oil out. Mash the garlic into a paste. Next, brown your butter over a low flame. It should be golden brown when done. Pour the butter in the potatoes first and mix. Next, add the heavy cream (You can adjust the measurements if you think necessary). Lastly, add the garlic paste and mix everything together. I like to garnish with a little olive oil and sage.
