Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes flavored with garlic became a restaurant cliché in the 1990s, but they never would have caught on if they weren’t so good.
Fri, Feb 05 2010 at 12:54 PM EST
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large, firm head garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 1⁄2 pounds russet potatoes
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter
- 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
Time estimates
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 hr
Preparation
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Slice off the top quarter of the garlic, keeping the head intact.
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Place the garlic cut side up in a small covered baking dish and drizzle the top with oil. (Or set it on a sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with oil, and gather the foil up around the sides, pinching it together at the top.)
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Bake in a 375˚F oven until soft, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly. (The garlic can be roasted ahead of time and refrigerated for several days.)
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Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces.
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Place in a pot with water just to cover and add 1⁄2 teaspoon salt.
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Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender.
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Drain, reserving some of the cooking water if you like.
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Squeeze the garlic out of the skins, add to the potatoes, and mash them both in the pot with a potato masher or a fork.
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Over low heat, whisk in the butter, moisten to your liking with milk and/or the potato water, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Serve promptly, or cover and keep warm.
Yield
Serves 4
Variation
If you don’t have time to roast the garlic, separate the garlic cloves, blanch for a few minutes in boiling water, then peel and simmer in the milk while the potatoes cook. Or separate and peel the cloves and cook them slowly at least half covered in olive oil until quite soft and golden brown. Save the garlic-flavored oil for another use.
The Microbrew Lover’s Cookbook From The Microbrew Lover’s Cookbook, Copyright © 2002 by Jay Harlow. Used by arrangement with Jay Harlow.
Photo: kk+/Flickr
