These roasted garlic mashed potatoes are my new favorite tater recipe. (And trust me, I’ve made hundreds of pots of mashed potatoes over the past forty years–these are superb.)
The recipe makes a startlingly large batch, although the creamy mashed potatoes with slow-roasted garlic will make you glad you made so much. The best part? The leftovers freeze and reheat beautifully, which means The One and I are one step closer to dinner on a chaotic weeknight in the future.
Why Our Testers Loved This
The testers agreed that mashed potatoes and roasted garlic are a “match made in heaven,” and they loved that this extra-creamy version had just the right amount of garlicky goodness.
Notes on Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes–These medium-starch spuds will give you the creamiest mashed potatoes. If you like very smooth potatoes, as I do, peel them before cooking.
- Sour cream–Use full-fat sour cream for the richest-tasting potatoes.
- Whole milk–If necessary, you can use reduced-fat milk, but it will result in slightly less creamy mashed potatoes. And if you’re like me, you want the full monty.
- Parmesan cheese–Skip the pre-shredded stuff and grate it yourself. I found pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt well.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Slice off the top of your garlic bulb(s) and brush the whole bulb with oil.
- Wrap the garlic in foil and roast at 425°F until tender and caramelized.
- Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain them, then dump them into a large bowl.
- Add the butter, sour cream, cheese, milk, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Squeeze in the roasted garlic.
- Mash until smooth.
- Stir in more milk, if needed, to create smooth potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
Common Questions
Definitely. You can make the potatoes up to 2 days before serving. Store them in a covered container in the fridge.
A few hours before you want to serve them, remove them from the fridge. To reheat, scoop them into a double boiler, cover, and let them warm slowly. As the potatoes soften, you might need to stir in a bit more milk to loosen them. What’s good about this method is you minimize the chance of them drying out.
100%. You can freeze them for up to 1 month. Let the mashed potatoes cool completely before stashing them in freezer-safe containers or resealable bags.
Leftover mashed potatoes are never a bad thing, are they? I love making mashed potato cakes, crispy mashed potato tacos, or this lamb shank shepherd’s pie with them.
Pro Tips
- Roast a couple of extra heads of garlic while you’re making these potatoes. Extra roasted garlic can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Toss it with sautéed broccoli rabe for an easy side dish, stir it into mayonnaise or horseradish, or squeeze it over your homemade white pizza.
- Use a potato ricer instead of a potato masher for smooth taters.
- Got a jar of garlic confit stashed in the fridge? Save yourself some time and swap it in for the roasted garlic.
- Store leftover mashed potatoes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat leftover potatoes, place them in a double boiler and warm over low heat, stirring in more milk, if needed, to make them smooth and untra-creamy.
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
More Creamy Mashed Potato Recipes
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If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic bulb or 2 small (2 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Salt
- 5 1/2 to 6 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, if desired, and cut into quarters
- 1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup whole milk, plus more if needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Crank the oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Remove the loose papery skin from the garlic and cut off the top third of the bulb. Brush the bulb with oil. Wrap the bulb in foil and roast it until tender and sweetly caramelized, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the bulb. Let cool.
- Add a tablespoon or two of salt to a large pot of cold water. Plonk in the potatoes and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and scoop them in a large bowl.
- Squeeze the cooled, roasted garlic onto the potatoes, and add the butter, sour cream, cheese, and milk. Mash until the taters are as chunky or smooth as you like, adding more milk if needed.
- Taste and season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Roast extra garlic– Roast a couple of extra garlic heads while making these potatoes. Extra roasted garlic can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Toss it with sautéed broccoli rabe for an easy side dish, stir it into mayonnaise or horseradish, or squeeze it over your homemade white pizza.
- Ricing the potatoes–For very smooth mashed potatoes, use a ricer instead of a potato masher.
- Storage and reheating–Store leftover mashed potatoes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat leftover potatoes, place them in a double boiler and warm over low heat, stirring in more milk, if needed, to make them smooth and creamy.
An LC Original
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Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I was excited to try this roasted garlic mashed potatoes recipe because I had plenty of potatoes from our local CSA. The weather has started to feel like fall here in the Midwest, which puts mashed potatoes back on the map.
This variation on mashed potatoes is familiar and cozy, with additional flavor and richness from the garlic and cheese. I served these with grilled pork chops and steamed broccoli.
One forgets how wonderful roasted garlic can be, especially when added to a batch of mashed potatoes. As there are just the two of us, I’m often baking a few large russets, letting them cool, and then turning them into twice-baked potatoes we can freeze for later.
She who must be obeyed thought this easy batch of Yukon gold garlicky goodness was a nice change. The parmesan adds the right amount of funk and salt that works well with the roasted garlic. I didn’t peel the potatoes, as I like to get the nutrients in the skins, and the Yukon gold skins are so thin they mash up nicely.
They portion nicely and froze quite easily, allowing me to vacuum pack them as individual servings for later in the month. I tried them from frozen a few days later and warmed them up in my sous vide at 60°C for 30 minutes. However, one could easily re-heat in the microwave at 20-30 power in for a few minutes as well!
Roasted garlic and mashed potatoes are genuinely “a match made in heaven.” Even if you are halving the recipe, I suggest roasting the entire garlic bulb so you can use the extra half for many other purposes. Even simply spread on a cracker makes a delicious little snack. Or spread on a grilled or roasted protein for an extra punch of flavor.
These mashed potatoes are creamy, and all elements come together perfectly. The garlic isn’t dominant and lends a subtle hint in the background. This dish would be a perfect accompaniment to just about any protein, but especially garlic butter steak bites or poultry.
What would you say about roast garlic potatoes you scooped out of the bowl and ate with your finger, even before dinner started? Hey, when it’s just you and your spouse, there’s no problem eating them that way. Sounds like we liked them, huh?!
And then, because life sometimes steps in, our dinner plans changed, and the chicken and mashed potatoes we were supposed to have for dinner that night had to be put off till the next night, and both of those dishes went into the refrigerator.
We ended up reheating some leftover cornmeal-crust pizza for dinner, but because we couldn’t stop thinking about those darn mashed potatoes, we had a bowl of the mashed potatoes with the pizza. The potatoes didn’t necessarily go with the pizza, but we sure wanted to have more of them. Sounds like they’re a winner, wouldn’t you say?
We made this last night as part of our New Year’s Eve celebration, and it was great. The roasted garlic gave the potatoes a little kick, and the cheese and sour cream gave it richness. I can’t say I tasted the wine or the sugar, but I think they added to the overall incredible-ness of the dish.
Tuck, excellent. These are a favorite of mine, too. I like to serve beef bourguignon over them.