Recipe: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Often it is the little, simple dishes that make people really happy. I think mashed potatoes are the perfect example. Creamy, buttery, smooth, not too whipped and perfectly seasoned. Mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish underneath osso buco or next to a seared beef filet.

There are several steps to making mashed potatoes come out as the kind of side dish that everyone wants - so I always feature them in at least one of my fall cooking classes. Therefore (a very long) but great description of how to make the very best mashed potatoes possible.

(Contine reading Garlic Mashed Potatoes)

Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes(Serves 4-6)

Time in the Kitchen: 1 hour 15 minutes; Actual Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-3 heads of garlic
• 1 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoons of white pepper
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 6 baking potatoes
• ½ cup to ¾ cup of heavy cream
• 4 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• salt and white pepper to taste

1. Preheat over to 400.
2. Remove 2-3 pieces of foil, about 10”x10” in size.
3. Place 1 garlic head in each piece.
4. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of white pepper and drizzle about 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil over each garlic head.
5. Carefully fold the foil upwards like a bundle, completely sealing in the garlic.
6. When the oven is hot, place garlic bundles on a sided cookie sheet and place in oven to bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Fill a large pot with water, add 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil at high heat on the stove.
8. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with cool water and set aside.
9. Using a potato peeler, skin 1 potato and slice in it into ½ inch pieces, place in bowl of water. Continue with remaining potatoes.
10. Drain water from bowl and carefully pour potatoes into boiling water to boil for 15-20 minutes until soft and you can easily break the potatoes in half with a spoon.
11. Lay sieve in sink and drain potatoes through sieve.
12. Pour potatoes back into pot from sieve and return to heat. Turn heat down to medium low.
13. Using a spatula, stir the potatoes around the pot for 2-3 minutes, letting the heat absorb the moisture in the potatoes, careful not to let the potatoes stick to the bottom of the pot.
14. Remove potatoes from stove and set aside.
15. Set a large bowl aside pot and place potato ricer inside bowl.
16. Carefully scoop out the dried potatoes with ladle 1 scoop at a time and add to the masher, mash through and continue until you run all the potatoes through the masher.
17. Add butter to the mashed potatoes and stir with a spatula until all the butter is absorbed.
18. Add the crème in thirds, stirring each addition completely into the potatoes before adding the next.
19. Remove garlic from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before handling. Carefully unfold foil and remove garlic from foil bundles.
20. Using your hands, pull the garlic skin away, sheet by sheet, until you get to a clove. Squeeze the clove over a small bowl until the roasted clove emerges from its covering.
21. Stir in the garlic cloves into the mashed potatoes.
22. Taste the potatoes; add salt and white pepper to taste.