Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
I hope you all had a great weekend! I love weekends, it’s great having my hubby and kids home with me. Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes was one of the dishes on the menu this weekend.
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Our home was less one boy. My 18-year old is studying to become a Professional Chef and he stays at the res during the week. Of late he hasn’t been coming home much on weekends.
Either he has a girlfriend or he’s enjoying his freedom a bit too much. I do miss him a lot, it’s seems like our home is becoming nearly an empty nest far too soon.
It’s scary thinking all 3 of my boys will be out the house and just hubby and I will be enjoying each other’s company. Luckily we do share a great bond and we love communicating with each other so I think we will be ok, that’s if he doesn’t nag me all the time…..hahaha. I hope he never reads this.
My kids don’t eat huge amounts of food so I often try to make things they enjoy. They are not huge fans of mashed potatoes unless it’s this Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
I think it’s because it’s a little more gourmet than my usual mashed potatoes, not that I can cook gourmet food. This Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes is as close to gourmet as you can get.
It is rich and creamy with a hint of garlic, even I couldn’t get enough of it especially since I love potatoes that much. I didn’t use loads of garlic, only because my kids are not fans of garlic and therefore couldn’t roast my garlic in the oven.
You can definitely use more garlic if you prefer. I sautéed the garlic in some oil, on the stovetop for a minute with the skin on and it was perfect.
It was perfectly soft when I removed the skin. The secret to making silky smooth Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes is to put your potatoes, in small batches, through a sieve.
I also started with a 1/4 cup of cream and I added a little more as I mixed it in, here it will depend on what consistency you would like your mashed potatoes. I am sure you will love these mashed potatoes because it’s that yum!
How to make the Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
You can choose to boil your potatoes on the stovetop or you can cook the potatoes in the pressure cooker. I remove the skin and cut my potatoes into large cubes.
The potatoes are then placed in a pot of cold water and I boil them on medium heat on the stovetop, until they are soft and tender. Be careful they don’t become mushy, you will end up with soup.
Ensure your potato cubes still maintains it’s shape when cooked. However, it must be soft or you will have a lumpy mashed potato. I prefer to drain the water and mash my potatoes whilst they are still hot.
The best potatoes for mashed potatoes is a floury potato. It has a high starch content. These are usually the Russet Potatoes. The most common one I find is the Sifra potatoes and Up to Date Potatoes here in SA.
You can then put it through a sieve if you wish and add the other ingredients.
Until the next one!
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes cut into equal size cubes
- 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cream
- 50 gram butter
- 3 large cloves garlic roasted
- 2 tspn olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan (optional)
- 1 tspn salt add more if required
- pepper
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Cut potatoes into equal size cubes. Place in a medium size pot, season with salt and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft but not mushy.
- Heat 2 teaspoon olive oil and sauté the garlic with the skin on for a minute or until the garlic is soft inside
- Once the potatoes are cooked drain the excess water and mash the potatoes using a potato masher, them put small bathes through a sieve to get rid of any lumps
- Heat 1/4 cup of cream and butter together with the garlic (skin off) and add it to the mashed potatoes. Use the potato masher to mash the garlic and mix well. If you want a softer consistency heat more cream and add it to the potatoes. Mix in the parmesan if you are using some.
- Season with more salt if required and add some pepper
- Garnish with parsley or chives
- Serve warm
Notes
- You can use milk instead of the cream for the mashed potatoes. Especially if you are serving it with meat, it can be a little rich
- The parmesan is optional so you can leave it out or you can add some cheddar cheese instead
- The best potatoes for mash is Sifra or Up to Date potatoes here in South Africa
