Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Name: Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 head of garlic; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 2 pounds potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold or another yellow, waxy potato; Salt; 1/3 cup cream; 3 tablespoons butter

Garlic mashed potatoes, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. One forkful, two forkfuls, three forkfuls... sorry, none left for you!

(Just kidding!) Growing up in a family of six kids, we are all rather competitive eaters. Basically, whoever finishes first gets seconds. And you're going to want to have seconds of these garlic mashed potatoes.

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Watch This Delicious Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

How to Make the Best Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Use Yukon Gold potatoes, which will make the mashed potatoes extra creamy, beyond what you get from the recipe's butter and cream. Yukon Golds are simply the best potato for creamy mashed potatoes.
Roast the garlic first. Even though we are using an entire head of garlic, we are roasting the garlic first, so you get all the flavor without it seeping through your pores.

A bowl of roasted garlic mashed potatoes topped with a pat of butter. — Cambrea Bakes

The Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

As Elise has mentioned, Yukon Golds make some pretty spectacular mashed potatoes, since they are naturally buttery and dense. But what if you can't find those at your friendly neighborhood market? You can substitute russets (a.k.a. Idaho potatoes) in place of Yukon Gold potatoes, but know that russets are higher in starch and make fluffier and lighter mashed potatoes. Use a lighter hand when mashing russet potatoes, or you can make them gluey.

Try to avoid waxy varieties, like red potatoes.

How to Buy and Store Potatoes

Tips for Making Perfect Mashed Potatoes

How do you make the perfect mashed potatoes? Whether you're making them as a holiday side or for a regular weeknight meal, it's easy to get the perfect mashed potatoes using our guide.

Cut the potatoes into even sizes, so they cook uniformly.
Start with cold water. Potatoes cook best when boiled gently and not vigorously. So, you may want to keep the lid off the pot to monitor the boiling.
Warm the butter and cream beforehand, otherwise you'll be whipping in cold cream and cooling down the potatoes.
Mash when hot. Let the cooked potatoes cool too much before mashing and they'll be gummy. Your potatoes will be light and fluffy if you mash them while they're still good and hot.
Season generously with salt. Mashed potatoes can taste bland until they have that critical mass of salt. Tasting and adjusting the seasoning with salt in Step 6 will pay off with delectable mashed potatoes.

More Delicious Mashed Potato Recipes to Try!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

1 head garlic, whole and unpeeled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold or another yellow, waxy potato
1/2 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
1/3 cup cream
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roast the garlic:

Remove the outer layer of papery skin of the whole garlic head, leaving the head itself intact.

Using a paring knife, slice off the tops (1/4 to 1/2 inch) of the garlic cloves so they are all exposed. Place the garlic head on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic head, salt lightly, and wrap the foil lightly around the garlic.

Bake at 400°F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft to the touch and are beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Cambrea Bakes

Cambrea Bakes

Cambrea Bakes

Roasted Garlic
READ MORE:
Boil the potatoes:

While the garlic is roasting, peel and chop the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover with cold water.

Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Cambrea Bakes

Cambrea Bakes
Warm the cream and melt the butter:

Either in a small pan on the stovetop or in a bowl in the microwave, combine the cream and butter. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted and the cream is warmed through.
Mash the potatoes with garlic:

Drain the pot with the potatoes and put it back on the stovetop over low heat. Put the drained potatoes back in the pot.

Squeeze the roasted garlic into the potatoes and begin mashing with a potato masher or a large fork.

Cambrea Bakes
Add the cream and butter, then season:

Add the cream and butter and mash until the potatoes are the consistency you want. Do not over-beat them, or the potatoes will become gummy.

Taste for salt and add some more, if needed.

Cambrea Bakes

Cambrea Bakes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
236	Calories
10g	Fat
34g	Carbs
4g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	236
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	13%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
Cholesterol 21mg	7%
Sodium 239mg	10%
Total Carbohydrate 34g	12%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 16mg	81%
Calcium 37mg	3%
Iron 2mg	10%
Potassium 835mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.