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.
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)
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!
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!
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.
More Yummy Vegetable Side Dishes
If you make these garlicky potatoes, be sure to leave a comment below!
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
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 cup half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste (plus more for salting water for potatoes)
- 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 (or in a microwave-safe container in the microwave) over medium-low heat. 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.
- 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.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
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!
David @ Spiced
You totally got my attention with these roasted garlic mashed potatoes, Dawn! We keep roasted garlic in the freezer at all times as a staple ingredient…it’s so good! And mashed potatoes are a requirement for holiday meals. I’m all in on these mashed ‘taters!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I agree! Thank you David 🙂
Matt - Total Feasts
I’m making sausage and mash tomorrow for the family Sunday lunch, so this is perfectly timed. I’m going to try this with them, I’m sure it will be a winner!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Enjoy, Matt 🙂
Beyond the Chicken Coop
These look like the best mashed potatoes, ever!!! I love how creamy they are. I usually make a huge batch just so I can have leftovers.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Kathy!! I hear ya 😉
Katherine | Love In My Oven
These look so whipped, fluffy and delicious!! I don’t make mashed potatoes often enough. My kids are silly and don’t like them (WHAT’S WRONG WITH THEM)? BUT when I do make them, I always imagine in my head they’ll look just like these!! These look seriously amazing, Dawn! Happy weekend!! XO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol! Thanks Katherine! XO
Leanne
When I think of comfort food and holiday sides, I think of creamy mashed potatoes. These look ultra creamy and I love the healthy dose of roasted garlic!. My family would quickly devour this as a side dish with their Christmas turkey!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Happy to hear that! Thanks Leanne!
[email protected]
Creamy and dreamy is rightttt! And give me all the roasted garlic, please!! This is a must for Thanksgiving dinner! xoxo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thanks Annie 🙂
MaryAnn | The Beach House Kitchen
Totally dreamy is right Dawn! I absolutely love all the roasted garlic. I’m thinking these need to be added to our Thanksgiving menu! Bet my whole family would love them. Pinned!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks Mary Ann!
Valentina
Dreamy indeed! Oh my goodness, I really need this recipe to be a constant in my life. I adore roasted garlic and anytime you combine it with creamy potatoes, it’s heaven. I love the way you styled it in the tart dish, too. So pretty. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thank you so much, Valentina! You’re so kind!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Sign me up for pretty much anything that includes two heads of garlic. I’m drooling over these! Thanksgiving might not be for a couple more weeks down here but I can’t wait till then to try this recipe. So good, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thank you Kelsie! Hope you love it!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen
We do love mashed potatoes! That’s probably the reason we try to avoid it throughout the year (Unfortunately, not the healthiest choice), but we always enjoy it a couple of times starting from Canadian Thanksgiving. This mash looks wonderful, and the addition of toasted garlic and chives? Yes, please!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Ben! They’re a favourite for sure 🙂
Marissa
We LOVE roasted garlic mashed potatoes and yours look so perfectly creamy, Dawn! Putting these on the menu for our Thanksgiving feast!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Marissa! Hope you love them!