My husband loves garlic mashed potatoes; I abhor making them, so he helps quite a lot on this one! Don't ask why I hate to make them, something about the starchy residue left on the pan makes me squirm. However, the roasted garlic is so delicious I could just spread it on some yummy toasted slices of bread and be done with it all. If you are like my hubby and want the potatoes to pour your turkey gravy over here is the recipe. Remember, how much butter, salt, and pepper you add is all dependent on your taste, feel free to do what you like, there are no set rules (exception, you must work while the potatoes are hot from the boiling water). I sometimes alternatively use olive oil in place of half the butter.
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Serves 8
• 2 large heads garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and quartered (you can opt to leave some peeling on for flavor, texture, and fiber content)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream (I use sour cream and heavy cream, equal parts instead)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tops 1/4-inch off garlic heads, and discard. Coat heads with olive oil, and wrap heads in aluminum foil. Bake until tender and golden, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand until cool enough to handle. Carefully peel garlic cloves, you may be able to "squeeze" the garlic out of the skin instead; set aside.
2. Place potatoes in a large stockpot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender and soft, about 12 minutes. Drain in a colander, and pass through a potato ricer or food mill over a large bowl. I prefer to use a hand masher, I like my potatoes chunky, if you like them smooth, use a ricer.
3. Heat butter and cream in a saucepan until butter has melted and cream is hot. Pour over riced potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine. Stir in the roasted garlic cloves, I tend to mash a few first with a fork- some mashed, some whole added to the potatoes. Serve.
Note:
You can prepare mashed potatoes several hours before dinner, but only use two-thirds of the cream (or cream mixture). Half an hour before serving, place the potatoes in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water; warm, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Just before serving, mix in the remaining cream.
