Creamy and satisfying, these roasted garlic mashed potatoes are simple to prepare and make for the most delicious vegetable side dish for your special holiday meal or Sunday supper.

Close-up of garlic mashed potatoes in a dish with melted butter and chives on top.

Hi there friends!

Sharing a creamy mashed potato recipe today!

And not just any mashed potatoes; these are roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

One of my all time favourite sides is my mashed turnip (rutabaga) with brown butter and roasted garlic.

There are so many festive holiday meals this time of year (and mashed potatoes usually play a huge roll).

Today I’m sharing a simple mashed potato recipe with a healthy dose of garlic!

There’s not one, but two, whole heads used here.

Garlic lovers rejoice!

And if you happen to have leftover mashed potato, try these fried mashed potato balls!

Ingredients for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes
Dairy, like half and half, whole milk or cream
Unsalted butter
Salt
Roasted garlic (two whole bulbs of garlic with olive oil and a little salt and pepper)

Ingredients for a creamy mashed potatoes recipe with garlic and chives.

How To Make Roasted Garlic

Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Carefully slice the tops off each bulb of garlic to expose the cloves inside.
Place each garlic bulb on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Wrap up and bake.
Once done, carefully unwrap.
Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove the cloves from their skin. They should easily come out. Now you have some little cloves of roasted garlic goodness!

Collage of steps to make roasted garlic.

Are These Potatoes Really Garlicky?

Not at all!

Of course, they have a garlic flavour (which is awesome, may I add).

However, don’t worry, you’re not going to scare the neighbours away with a big garlic hum.

Despite that there’s a lot of garlic, it’s actually quite subtle.

When garlic is roasted, it tames the pungency a little. It’s a tad sweet and has more of a mellow garlic flavour.

Garlic and potatoes means flavour city for your tastebuds!

Garlic mashed potatoes in a dish garnished with chives and melted butter.

Best Potato To Use

A starchy potato works best and will give the best result for creamy dreamy mash.

Russet or Yukon Gold are great options here.

Tips for Making This Recipe

When boiling the potatoes, ensure that they are cut into roughly equal-sized chunks so they cook evenly. I typically cut each potato into 3 or 4 chunks, depending on their size.
Taste for seasoning! There’s a lot of potatoes here and, of course, everyone has a different preference for seasoning. You want the water seasoned when you boil the potatoes and then more for the mash. Don’t be afraid to add a little more if it suits you.
Want even more garlic flavour? Use more roasted garlic and add a few cloves to your water when you boil the potatoes.
Don’t pour your half-and-half into those mashed potatoes without warming first! It will cool things down and nobody wants lukewarm potatoes!
Don’t overmix your potatoes because they will become gluey and lose their fluffiness!
Black pepper was used just for the roasted garlic. If you like, you could add also some to the melted butter when you add the salt.

Recipe Variations

If you want to go all out, you could use heavy cream instead of half and half (or try a mixture of both).
Some people love sour cream in their mashed potatoes. If you like, sub out some of the half-and-half for sour cream.
Mix things up! If you like skin on mashed potatoes, you could wash and scrub the potatoes well, cook, and mash. Or, you could partially peel them and just have a little skin left on there. You do what you enjoy best!
Stir in some shredded Parmesan cheese (about ⅓ cup) for an extra pop of savoury and cheesy flavour!
Some chives were added on top for a little pop of colour, but you could omit if you like. Alternatively, add a little green onion or some chopped parsley.

Close-up of garlic mashed potatoes in a dish with a serving spoon dunked into it.

More Yummy Vegetable Side Dishes

If you make these garlicky potatoes, be sure to leave a comment below!

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

Creamy and satisfying, these roasted garlic mashed potatoes are simple to prepare and make for the most delicious vegetable side dish for your special holiday meal or Sunday supper.

5 from 11 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Course Side Dish

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic

2 heads garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
pinch salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper

Mashed Potatoes

3.5 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, about 3 pounds after peeled
⅔ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick plus ¼ stick (plus more for optional garnish)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste (plus more for salting water for potatoes)
1 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons minced chives, plus more for optional garnish

Instructions

Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Horizontally cut the top off each bulb of garlic, exposing the cloves inside. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Carefully unwrap garlic (as there may be steam). When cool enough to handle, remove cloves from their skins. Mash with a fork to form a paste. Set aside.

Mashed Potatoes

Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into quarters. Add potatoes to a large pot of salted, cold water (there should be an inch or two of water above the potatoes, basically ensuring that they are fully submerged and covered by the water). Bring to boil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain well.
Note: As you are cooking the potatoes, reduce the heat, if necessary, while still maintaining a boil.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (alternatively, you can melt the butter in a microwave-safe container in the microwave). Once melted, whisk in salt and mashed roasted garlic.
Warm half-and-half in another small saucepan over medium-low heat until just heated through.
Mash or rice cooked potatoes (you can use the same pot you boiled them in, if you like). Don't overmix.

Combine the Roasted Garlic and Mashed Potatoes

To potatoes, stir in butter/salt/garlic mixture. Then, slowly stir in warmed half-and-half until everything is incorporated. Again, don't overmix. Taste for seasoning (salt) and add more if you like.
Don't worry if it looks like a lot of liquid at first. It will absorb into the potatoes.
Note: If you want things looser (i.e., not as dense), you can add more half-and-half until you reach the consistency that you like.
Transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving dish and pour over a little melted butter and sprinkle with fresh chives (if desired). Serve and enjoy!

Notes

When boiling the potatoes, ensure that they are cut into roughly equal-sized chunks so they cook evenly. I typically cut each potato into 3 or 4 chunks, depending on their size.
Taste for seasoning! There’s a lot of potatoes here and, of course, everyone has a different preference for seasoning. You want the water seasoned when you boil the potatoes and then more for the mash. Don’t be afraid to add a little more if it suits you.
Don’t pour your half-and-half into those mashed potatoes without warming first! It will cool things down and nobody wants lukewarm potatoes!
Don’t overmix your potatoes because they will become gluey and lose their fluffiness.

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword potato side dish, thanksgiving side dish, vegetable side dish

Tried this recipe?

If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!

Ingredients for Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

How To Make Roasted Garlic

Are These Potatoes Really Garlicky?

Best Potato To Use

Tips for Making This Recipe

Recipe Variations

More Yummy Vegetable Side Dishes

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic

Mashed Potatoes

Instructions

Roasted Garlic

Mashed Potatoes

Combine the Roasted Garlic and Mashed Potatoes

Notes

Tried this recipe?

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