Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Lidia’s Favorite Recipes | Knopf, 2012

Who doesn’t like mashed potatoes? Of course we love them, but everyone wants to be careful about adding too much butter. So try making them the way my nonna used to make them in Italy—with olive oil, or with garlic and olive oil. They’re healthier, and still a favorite at our table.–Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

LC Glug Note

The amount of olive oil suggested below is just that—a suggested amount. Just start with a glug and go from there. What you’re aiming for is a mash that’s smooth, silken, and sumptuous.

Special Equipment: Potato ricer or food mill

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Serves 4

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Ingredients

1 pound Idaho or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
Salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, preferably white

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by a few inches. Season the water with salt and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender but still hold their shape, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size and shape. Drain the potatoes and let stand until cool enough to handle.
2. Peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer or a food mill. (You can instead mash them with a handheld potato masher.) Gently stir in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Garlic and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes Variation

Pour the olive oil in a large skillet, add 3 whole peeled garlic cloves, and heat over medium-low heat until the garlic is softened and toasty at the edges. Gently stir the garlic cloves into the mashed potatoes along with the olive oil, warning guests as to the presence of whole cloves of garlic.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Miso Mashed Potatoes from Steamy Kitchen
Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar from Sippity Sup
Fork-Mashed Potatoes from Leite's Culinaria
Mashed Potatoes and Root Vegetables from Leite's Culinaria