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    Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

    Published March 21, 2024.

    This Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe is loaded with cream, butter, and roasted garlic, making it the most delicious side dish ever. Once you make these, you will never want another mashed potato again.  

    If you are always searching for excellent potato side dishes, check out my Potatoes au Gratin Recipe or Sweet Potato Casserole.

    roasted garlic mashed potatoes with butter and chives

    Garlic Mashed Potatoes

    Garlic mashed potatoes are potatoes that have been mashed until smooth with different fats and garlic for added flavor. I was always taught that mashed potatoes should be 50% potatoes and 50% fat to make them delicious. In addition, I use a food mill to ensure there are no lumps which will allow for more fat to be incorporated into the potatoes.

    You can customize this recipe by using different potatoes and seasonings. Feel free to substitute the creams and fats with lower-fat ingredients to make this recipe work for you. It will still be tasty even with some of these ingredients swapped out.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Potatoes – I prefer to use Yukon gold potatoes for mashing because of their balanced sugar-to-starch content, but you can absolutely use Russets or red potatoes.
    • Oil – To cook the garlic, you will need olive oil. However, you can substitute a neutral-flavored oil like avocado or clarified butter.
    • Garlic – Whole garlic cloves are needed for this recipe.
    • Cream – I used heavy whipping cream in my mashed potatoes. You can substitute with half and half, whole, 1%, 2%, skim, or whole milk.
    • Butter – Unsalted butter is always used in my cooking and baking to control the sodium content.
    • Sour Cream – I prefer full-fat sour cream, but you can also use low-fat sour cream or yogurt.

    How to Make Garlic Mashed Potatoes

    1. Cook garlic cloves and olive oil over low heat until browned and tender, about 20 minutes. This process is called garlic confit.
    2. Strain the oil from the garlic cloves and set both aside.
    3. Heat heavy cream and unsalted butter sticks together in a small saucepot over low heat until melted.  You want to keep the cream and butter warm.
    4. Peel and quarter Yukon gold potatoes and place them in a large pot with water.
      step by step process for making roasted garlic for mashed potatoes
    5. Add garlic cloves and salt to the pot with the potatoes and water.
    6. Cook the potatoes over medium-high heat and at a low boil until they are soft and tender, about 10-12 minutes.
    7. Strain and transfer the potatoes to a food mill and rice them with the roasted garlic cloves until mashed through the food mill.
    8. Add the hot cream and butter, some drained roasted garlic olive oil, sour cream, salt, and pepper to the mashed potatoes, and mix until incorporated.
      step by step process for making roasted garlic mashed potatoes
    9. Serve with more melted unsalted butter and chopped chives for garnish.
    mashed potatoes with chives

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time. Just keep covered and warm over very low heat.

    How to Store: They can be stored in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen and covered for up to 2 months. However, they will lose quite a bit of moisture and flavor if frozen. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

    How To Reheat: To reheat the garlic mashed potatoes, add your desired portion to a small saucepot, stir in butter or milk, and heat over low heat until hot.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    chef notes + tips

    • It’s wise to add 1/2 to 3/4 of the cream, oil, butter, and sour cream first and mix before adding any remaining.
    • If you notice the mashed potatoes have sucked up all the cream and oil and are thick, feel free to add more oil and sour cream to help thin out a bit.
    • You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, food mill, or a manual hand masher when mashing the potatoes.
    • You can use potato skins in your recipe. I advise you to wash and scrub the outside skins of them before cutting them and boiling them. The skins are loaded with potassium.
    • The key to thick mashed potatoes is ensuring that they are not overcooked. 

    More Side Dish Recipes

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    Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

    5 from 20 votes
    This Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe is loaded with cream, butter, and roasted garlic, making it the most delicious side dish ever.
    Servings: 8
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 ½ cups olive oil
    • ½ cup trimmed garlic cloves + 10-12
    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 2 sticks unsalted butter + 4 tablespoons melted
    • 4 pounds peeled and quartered Yukon potatoes
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • coarse salt and ground white pepper to taste
    • optional chopped fresh chives for garnish

    Instructions

    • Add the olive oil and ½ cup of garlic cloves to a small pot and heat over low heat until brown and tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. They will be lightly browned and tender. Strain and keep both to the side.
    • Next, add the cream and sticks of butter to a separate small saucepot and keep warm over low heat. It should be melted before using it.
    • Add the potatoes to a large pot of salted boiling water along with the 10-12 garlic cloves and cook over medium-high heat to a low boil for 10-12 minutes or until they easily fall off a fork when piercing.
    • Strain the potatoes and transfer them with the roasted garlic cloves to a food mill, stand mixer, hand mixer, or hand masher. Mash the potatoes until smooth.
    • Fold in the hot cream and butter, ½ cup to ¾ cup of roasted garlic olive oil, sour cream, salt, and pepper using a rubber spatula to combine completely.
    • Serve the potatoes with extra melted butter and chopped chives for garnish.

    Notes

    Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time. Just keep covered and warm over very low heat.
    How to Store: They can be stored in the refrigerator covered in plastic for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen and covered for up to 2 months. However, they will lose quite a bit of moisture and flavor if frozen. Thaw them in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
    How To Reheat: To reheat the garlic mashed potatoes, add your desired portion to a small saucepot, stir in butter or milk, and heat over low heat until hot.
    It’s wise to add 1/2 to 3/4 of the cream, oil, butter, and sour cream first and mix before adding any remaining.
    If you notice the mashed potatoes have sucked up all the cream and oil and are thick, feel free to add more oil and sour cream to help thin out a bit.
    You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, food mill, or a manual hand masher when mashing the potatoes.
    You can use potato skins in your recipe. I advise you to wash and scrub the outside skins of them before cutting them and boiling them. The skins are loaded with potassium.
    The key to thick mashed potatoes is ensuring that they are not overcooked. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 238.65kcalCarbohydrates: 25.65gProtein: 5.7gFat: 13.56gSaturated Fat: 6.75gCholesterol: 36.03mgSodium: 33.03mgPotassium: 802.56mgFiber: 4.68gSugar: 0.26gVitamin A: 385.68IUVitamin C: 22.95mgCalcium: 88.53mgIron: 6.01mg
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American

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