Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes with mellow roasted-garlic flavor. The side dish that goes with everything.
Mashed potatoes are the great equalizer of side dishes: they go with roast chicken, steak, meatloaf, sausages, or just a pool of gravy. This version simmers whole garlic cloves right in with the potatoes, so you get sweet, mellow garlic flavor without any sharp raw bite.
The keys to great mash are simple: don’t skimp on the butter, warm your milk, and season more aggressively than you think you need to. Do that and you’ll have a bowl of the creamiest comfort food going.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup warm milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place the cubed potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a large pot and cover with cold, salted water.
- Bring to a boil and cook 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Drain well and return the potatoes and garlic to the warm pot to let excess moisture steam off for a minute.
- Add the butter and mash until mostly smooth.
- Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, mashing or stirring, until the potatoes reach the texture you like.
- Season generously with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Colander
- Potato masher
Tips
- Start the potatoes in cold water so they cook evenly from the outside in.
- Boiling the garlic right alongside the potatoes mellows its bite into a soft, sweet flavor with zero extra effort.
- Warm the milk before adding it. Cold milk cools the potatoes and can make them gluey.