Recipe: Best Ever Mashed Taters

I am so excited to share this recipe with you all. I’ve made it twice and it turned out perfectly amazing both times. I can’t keep this goodness to myself!

 

Not sure if y’all know this or not, but I am a potato person through and through. We used to have a standing joke in my family about that phrase because my dad would always compliment Mom’s homemade fries, mashed potatoes, or some other similar recipe, and say, “This is delicious! And I’m not a potato person!”

But I am. And I am massively in love with this fluffy beauty.

Enter the Yukon Gold potato.

Yes, guys. These little babies are what make this recipe so perfectly smooth and creamy. I hear it is because of the starchiness, but I’m just going to tell you from experience that they turned out fluffier and yummier than all other mashed potatoes I’ve made. (Which is a lot, in case you were wondering.)

And to think I stumbled upon this delicious fact simply because they were the kind on sale at Aldi that week, and subsequently the only taters in my house.

The second thing that makes such a difference between these taters and any other measly mashed stuff is the ROASTED GARLIC. Anyone else a huge fan of garlic? I put it in everything! And now, it’s almost always roasted.

If you have never roasted your garlic before, today is the day. I cannot express to you how much taster and sweeter it becomes. You just have to try it . . . and then taste it right out of the oven. No joke, it is delicious. Your spouse might not kiss you for a few days, but it is totally worth it.

Roasting garlic in the oven is a piece of cake. Most of the recipes you’ll find with a quick Google search say to use the whole head, but sometimes you don’t need the whole head for the recipe. It’s just as simple to break off from the bulb the cloves you need (keeping them all attached makes them easier to transport), drizzle with oil, and throw in the oven til they get all brown and toasty. Boom. You will never sauté garlic again. Roasted garlic just became your new best friend, the lift you need for every dish, the air in your sails. The recipe says three or four cloves, but feel free to add more as you need more garlic in your life. Because we all need more garlic in our life, especially roasted garlic. Ok enough about garlic.

The last game changer is a tiny pinch of thyme. And I mean tiny. A little goes a long way with this beautiful, fragrant herb. Use sparingly, and you will notice the depth of flavor it brings to the dish. Absolutely gorgeous.

Without further ado, here is the recipe. Most of the amounts are approximates because I hardly ever measure when I cook. (Baking is a whole other story because baking is science.) And I don’t know how to calculate servings because I probably eat 3 normal-size servings whenever I eat mashed potatoes, especially these. So just try these and roll with whatever happens!

 

Best Ever Fluffy Taters

• About 14 Yukon Gold baby potatoes, with or without skin
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, roasted
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 2 tbs parmesan
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Pinch of dried thyme leaves
• Pinch of salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1 or 2 tbs ranch (optional but adds a nice kick)

 

1. Preheat oven to 400*F. Place garlic cloves in foiled pan. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven for about twenty minutes, or until brown and toasty. Should easily squeeze out of paper skin.

2. Dice potatoes into smaller pieces. Place in COLD water and put on stove to boil.*

3. When the potatoes are easily squished with a fork, drain, and then add butter and begin mashing. Add your choice of milk, or water, one tablespoon at a time if the potatoes aren’t as creamy as you’d like.

4. When potatoes have reached the desired level of mash, roughly chop or smash garlic cloves. Add garlic, parmesan, seasonings, and ranch (if desired). Mix with silicone utensil until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

Enjoy! I’ve served it with green beans and smoked kielbasa or baked chicken. Let me know how yours turns out and what you think!

 

 

*Vegetables that grow underground should always start off in cold water, and vegetables that grow above ground should be placed in already-boiling water. Read more:

https://garnishandgather.com/blog/why-you-should-always-start-your-root-veggies-in-cold-water

http://thyme-and-envy.com/starting-with-hot-or-cold-water/