Adding roasted garlic to mashed potatoes takes the everyday ordinary mashed potatoes and turns them into something even better. Adding mascarpone cheese turns them into something epic!
Who doesn’t love mashed potatoes? I mean, seriously. What’s NOT to love?
For a fluffy, light, flavorful version of this classic, it’s important to use a use high-starch potato and the right tool.
Although you can mash any type of potato, the variety you choose does made a significant difference in the ultimate quality of the dish. Potatoes are composed mostly of starch and water.
When mashed, the high-starch potatoes are most likely to maintain their integrity and stay separate, giving the potatoes a delightfully fluffy, full texture. In addition, the low water content of these potatoes allows them to absorb milk, cream, and/or butter without becoming wet or gummy.
As for our mashing method, we prefer to force cooked potatoes through a ricer, which turns the potatoes into fine, thin shreds. With the potatoes already mashed, you can blend in butter and milk with a wooden spoon or a stiff whisk, which is gentle on those starch cells and therefore helps ensure consistently fluffy mashed potatoes.
Mashing the right potato is only half of the equation. Next we need to add flavor.
We’ve added 2 more levels of flavor ~ first we roasted a bulb of garlic. Roasting garlic transforms it into this buttery, creamy, soft and totally addictive flavor. Roasting it mellows out the sharpness and it becomes a spreadable butter like consistency. It’s epic.
Adding this mellow, comforting rustic flavor to mashed potatoes is pure genius. You can add as little or as much garlic as you like. We used the entire bulb.
Then we added Mascarpone cheese to this party. Oh yes! Mascarpone is a cross between cream cheese and sour cream. It is creamy, it is smooth and it adds even more creaminess to our potatoes.
HOW TO ROAST A BULB OF GARLIC:
- Peel off any loose paper from the garlic and using a sharp knife, trim about ÂĽ″ off the top of the entire bulb exposing the inside.
- Place the bulb in a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle it with olive oil and wrap it up.
- Place it in a preheated oven at 400°F for approximately 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the bulb. You will know it’s done when it can easily be pierced with a fork.
- Set the garlic aside until you can handle it. Using the back of a butter knife begin by pressing down to squeeze the garlic out.
TIPS FOR FLUFFY MASHED POTATOES:
- Do not cut the potatoes into too small of a dice. The smaller the potatoes are the more starch is released.
- Invest in a potato ricer. They are inexpensive and really break the potatoes down.
- Warm the milk and butter. Adding cold milk to hot potatoes doesn’t end well.
- Season ~ Season ~ Season – you MUST add salt to the water as the potatoes are boiling. A LOT of salt. If there isn’t enough and they are under seasoned you cannot redeem them by adding table salt as you are mashing them.
Be careful not to overcook potatoes you plan to mash, because the starch cells will break down and create a sticky mash. Cook them just until a thin-bladed knife meets a bit of resistance. It is also important to drain the potatoes well after cooking to prevent gumminess. Putting them back into the pot you cooked them in will help dry them out.
Hopefully these garlic mashed potatoes will show up at your Thanksgiving table this year. If they do, let us know!
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Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- Âľ – 1 Cup Half and Half
- 1 Whole Head of Roasted Garlic, taken out of skin and mashed (*see below)
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 8 ounces Mascarpone Cheese
- Sea Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
HOW TO ROAST GARLIC:
- Peel and discard the papery outer layers of the whole garlic bulb, leaving intact the skins of the individual cloves of garlic.
- Using a sharp knife, cut ¼ to a ½ inch from the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.
- Place the bulb in some aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap it up and place it the oven at 400°F for about 30 minutes.
- Cool and remove roasted garlic cloves from their skins: Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a small fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Mash with a fork.
TO MAKE THE POTATOES:
- Place potatoes in a large saucepan, add cold water just to cover and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until tender. Drain well and run through a food mill set over a large bowl.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine the milk, garlic and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Stir the milk mixture into the potatoes until combined. Fold in the mascarpone and season well with salt and pepper.
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These are on my Thanksgiving recipe list!!!!!
★★★★★