Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Thanksgiving is one of those great American holidays that no matter what religion or non-religion you are, we can all celebrate it. It’s a time to give thanks for all we have and for those we have in our lives to share it with. Every year since I was about 6 years old, my immediate family and I have spent our Thanksgivings with close family friends. A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to pitch in and make some of my own dishes for our huge pot-luck style meal every year.

With begrudging approval from the moms (I’m not being sexist, it’s just a fact that they do all the cooking at my Thanksgivings), I was allowed to make mashed potatoes and stuffing (inspired by one of the moms a year earlier anyway). What I learned from that experience is that every year when I’m thankful for my friends, family, and even the good eats, I never really understood what it took to prepare those amazing meals. Frankly, it’s hard and time-consuming. I only contribute a couple of dishes a year now, while our poor mothers prepare an entire table and side table (we have a lot of food) of delicious dishes. Even that one dish that no one likes every year (there’s always at least one) often takes a lot of time!

Keeping that in mind, this run of Thanksgiving recipes goes out to the moms who don’t need these recipes and to those of us who should be thankful enough to maybe lend them a hand in the future.

Makes enough for 12 people at ~285 calories per serving.

Fluffy, Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• Servings: 12
• Time: 1 hr
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Mashed potatoes garnished with chives and cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 pounds (about 1 bag) of Russet or Yukon gold potatoes (about 1400 calories)
  Note: Russets make fluffier potatoes and Yukon Golds make denser, creamier potatoes.
• 1.5 cups of heavy cream (about 1200 calories)
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (800 calories)
• 4 to 6 cloves of crushed/pureed garlic, but you can add more to taste 
• Salt
• Optional: 2 tablespoons of diced chives
• Optional: Shredded mild cheddar cheese

Equipment

• Large pot for boiling
• Cutting board
• Potato/vegetable peeler
• Knife
• Hand-held potato masher / potato ricer /  or other way to mash the potatoes
• Small sauce pot
• Wooden spoon or other spoon to mix the cream and butter
• Large bowl

Directions

1. Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and place them into a large bowl or pot filled with water so that they don’t brown.
2. Cut the potatoes into quarters and place them into a large pot filled with water and a teaspoon of salt.
3. Bring the water to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are “fork tender” (about 15 to 20 min).
4. Drain the potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes.
5.  Put the potatoes back in the pot and use a potato ricer (recommended), large fork, or hand-held masher to mash the potatoes.
   Note: DON’T mash them with a food processor or hand blender or stand mixer or anything mechanical like that. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a really thick paste rather than fluffy potatoes. Use a hand-held grated potato masher.
6. Cut up one stick (8 tbs) of butter into small 1/2 inch cubes and add them to the potatoes lightly mixing them in. 
7. Add the 4 crushed cloves of garlic to the potatoes.
8. Add the 1.5 cups of cream to the potatoes in 1/2 cup increments and fold everything together until well incorporated. Don’t over mix them or the potatoes will turn into paste. The key is to keep them light and fluffy. 
9. Add salt to taste. I would suggest adding a 1/2 teaspoon at a time and fold well before tasting. Add more if you want after that.
10. Once done, top the mashed potatoes with chopped chives and/or cheese as a garnish.
11. Serve up some mashed happiness.

One more Pro Tip: Mashed potatoes are best served immediately when they’re hot and at maximum fluffy creaminess. So often, there’s stress about when to make them. Some people make them ahead of time and let them sit until the rest of dinner is ready. That usually leads to dense, cool potatoes. Others make them at the last minute in the chaos of negotiating other dishes at feasts like Thanksgiving. My go to method now is to make the potatoes ahead of time on the same day as the event to free me up for other things, but I will place them in a plastic bag and into a hot water bath controlled by an immersion circulator set to 150 degrees F. They can stay that way for up to a day, but I recommend no more than 4-6 hours. When ready to eat, those potatoes will come out of the bag as if they were freshly prepared and as creamy as ever!

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