rosemary roasted garlic mashed potatoes

The countdown to Thanksgiving Day is officially ON! I am back to my Thanksgiving mini-series after taking a break for a few days to take some exams and make some pies. Today we are discussing my all time favorite side dish, mashed potatoes! My mom always makes mashed potatoes with yukon golds and uses a potato ricer to make them super smooth and creamy. While I definitely enjoy her recipe, I adore texture, so my favorite kind of mashed potatoes are rustic, chunky, and with bits of skin still on them.... which is the recipe I will teach you today. These are the most low-maintenance, amazingly delicious potatoes you will ever eat! And bonus, they are VEGAN! Heck yeah! I can just imagine my vegan best friend high-fiving me right now. I took these to a Friendsgiving potluck and when I told people this mash didn't have any butter or milk, they were shocked! This side dish is just as good {if not better} than the classic, made with low-calorie almond milk, extra virgin olive oil infused with rosemary, and sweet, caramelized bits of roasted garlic. It has all of the flavor and none of the fat!

I love this recipe because it is deceivingly low-maintenance and super easy! What I do is I use russet potatoes, which are usually used for making baked potatoes... these are super starchy and fluffy when cooked, which means they make awesome mashed potatoes! I also love them because as they boil, they totally fall apart and turn into mashed potatoes with practically zero effort on your part. So, how do you make sure you get mashed potatoes that are creamy, dreamy, and not watery? Well, you cook them in milk of course. I totally omit the boiling-in-water that normally happens with mash, and just cook my potatoes straight in the milk. As they cook, they start to fall apart and become creamy. All you need to do is mix occasionally and before you know it, you have a pot of perfectly rustic, chunky, delicious mashed potatoes! I fancied them up for the holidays with some rosemary-infused olive oil {aka olive oil I microwaved for 20 seconds with a sprig of rosemary in it} and a head of roasted garlic, but these are amazing no matter how you flavor them! They would be especially perfect topped with your turkey gravy this Thanksgiving. Yum! I am a firm believer that once you try this way of making mashed potatoes, you will never go back to the long, complicated, time-consuming way. Try these this holiday season!

Looking for more delicious dishes for your Thanksgiving table? Check out my Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Fried Shallots, Acorn Squash with Rice & Sausage Stuffing, and Simple Roasted Broccoli! Tomorrow, I'm planning on sharing a super delicious and ridiculously easy appetizer! Stay tuned...

Print Recipe

rosemary roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Vegetarian

Servings: 15

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• 4-5 large russet potatoes scrubbed well
• 2-3 cups nondairy milk {I used unsweetened almond milk}
• 1 head garlic
• 5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary {or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary}
• salt pepper, garlic powder, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the top off of your head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and loosely wrap it in aluminum foil. Place in preheated oven and roast for 40-50 minutes.
• Wash and scrub your potatoes very well, and peel if desired. Cut into evenly sized chunks, and place in a large pot {nonstick is preferred}.
• Pour between 2-3 cups of milk into your pot, just enough to cover your potatoes ¾ of the way. Season with salt, cover the pot, and turn heat onto medium-high.
• When the milk comes to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, uncover the pot {otherwise it will boil over! trust me},and let the potatoes cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When the mixture gets thicker and starts to spatter, turn the heat down low and stir often! The potatoes should be close to done at this point. If the mixture seems too runny, just keep cooking it and the excess liquid will evaporate.
• When the potatoes are done, remove from heat.
• When the garlic is done roasting, let it cool until you are able to handle it, then peel off the skin and squeeze out the garlic cloves into the mashed potatoes. Cloves should be very soft at this point and easy to squeeze.
• In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil and rosemary needles, and microwave for 20 seconds, until warmed through.
• Pour as much oil as desired into the potatoes, and mix well to combine. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder as needed, and serve immediately!