Roasty Toasty

In case you hadn't noticed on all the other food blogs, Thanksgiving is coming! So I thought tonight might be a good time to share my recipe (well, more method than recipe really) for roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

Clearly I love all things potato, given how many times they make an appearance on this blog - and I have another one coming up too! But mashed potatoes have got to top the list. Adding the sweetness and just, really, scrumptious flavor of roasted garlic to them takes it to a whole other level. I served these the other night for Sunday dinner with a whole roasted chicken and some roasted asparagus. Roasty Toasty indeed!

I don't know that this is really a recipe - mashed potatoes are one of those things I kind of do by feel and taste. But I can give you my method and feel free to tweak it as you see fit.

Start by roasting your garlic. I like to split the bulb apart into cloves before roasting. This cuts the roasting time way down and makes it easier to retrieve all of the roasted garlic when you're done. For about 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes, I used 2 heads of garlic. YES - I said TWO whole HEADS of garlic. Don't be afraid. Roasting really mellows the garlic taste and transforms it - you won't be complaining about garlic breath, I promise.

Separate the bulbs from the head and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with a bit of olive oil and roast at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the husks start to split open and the garlic has softened. When done, set them aside to cool before peeling. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel off the husks by hand and set the roasted cloves aside.

Clean and cut up about 2 - 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes. I really think Yukon golds are perfect for mashed potatoes. They are creamy and delicious, and they have a very thin skin which I like because I have no patience for peeling potatoes. I always leave the skins on and they really almost disappear into the dish. Plus, you keep all the vitamins and fiber that reside in the skins. Put the potato chunks in a pot and just cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer rapidly for about 15-20 minutes, until fork tender. The cooking time will vary depending on how big your chunks are.


When the potatoes are done, drain them and put them directly back into the hot pan. Put the pan back on a low burner for just a minute or two. This heat will help steam off any excess water that may impact the texture of your mashed potatoes. Once the excess water seems to be gone, add in butter, cream cheese and/or laughing cow cheese to taste and the roasted garlic. This is where the recipe kind of falls apart for me - people have pretty passionate and personal feelings about what should and should not go into mashed potatoes. Some make them with fat free broth to keep the fat down. Some pile on the butter and sour cream. I like just a bit of unsalted butter and some low fat cream cheese or laughing cow cheese. I like the little tang from the cheese a lot, particularly with the garlic. For this volume of potatoes I used about 2 Tbs of butter, 3 oz of cream cheese and 2 wedges of laughing cow.

At this point, start to mash by hand. Again, some will swear by their kitchen aid mixer for mashing. I don't like this for four reasons. 1 - I think it's too easy to over mix with an electric mixer of any type and they get gluey. 2 - I think the potatoes have too much time to get cold transferring into a new, cool, metal bowl and then back into another cool serving dish. 3 - I've already dirtied a pot, a colander and a baking sheet for this dish. I'm not cleaning my mixer and paddle on top of it! 4 - I like lumps. Mash in the butter and/or cheese until it's melted, and get the garlic all mixed in. At this point, season with salt and pepper to taste. If your consistency is still to thick (and it likely will be) add some milk, just a little at a time, until you get to desired consistency.

Roasted garlic really elevates the humble mashed potato to a whole other level - even if my after dark pictures of the final product don't quite look it. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it to accompany your turkey on Thursday!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Mollie's Collection

2 heads of garlic

2 - 2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

salt, pepper, butter, milk, cream cheese and laughing cow cheese to taste

Break apart the cloves in each head of garlic and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with a bit of olive oil and roast at 350 for about 20 minutes or until softened. Cut the potatoes into chunks and boil until fork tender. Mash together the potatoes, garlic and seasonings to taste.