Description
Creamy, cheesy and full of caramel-y roasted garlic flavor, these mashed potatoes are to die for! Pair them with any protein and any veggie for a delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 2 heads garlic
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled or not peeled* see note
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
- 4 tablespoons salted butter + a little more for drizzling
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2oz white cheddar or monterey jack cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups total)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- fresh chives or green onions, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Slice the top off of the heads of garlic, so the tops of most/all of the cloves are exposed. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil onto each head of garlic, working to ease it in the little holes in the middle of each clove as well as into the cracks between cloves. Sprinkle each head with pinches of salt and pepper and wrap tightly in foil. Place in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes until the cloves are deeply golden brown and caramelized. Let cool and then squeeze the cloves from the skins. Use a fork to mash the roasted garlic into a paste.
- Add the potatoes to a large dutch oven or stockpot and fill with cool water. Bring to a boil and boil for 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. I don’t bother chopping or peeling my potatoes so they take a little longer to boil. If you cut the potatoes in smaller pieces, they will take less time.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine the cream, butter, thyme and cream cheese in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter and cream cheese are melted into the cream and the thyme infuses the mixture (it’s okay if it’s a little lumpy).
- Drain the potatoes. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer back into the Dutch oven or pot you used to cook them. If you don’t have a ricer, add drained potatoes back to the pot and use a potato masher to give them an initial mash. Discard the thyme from the infused cream mixture and add the cream, using a spatula or potato masher to incorporate it into the potatoes.
- Add the roasted garlic paste, white cheddar, salt and pepper, mashing/folding it into the potatoes until they are nice and smooth. Taste and season with additional pinches of salt and pepper, if needed.
- Transfer potatoes to a baking dish and add some swooshes to the top. Drizzle with a little extra melted butter and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. (see note on baking) Serve hot, garnished with chives, green onions or thyme, if desired!
Notes
Potatoes: I do not bother peeling or chopping my potatoes, yay easy! I use a potato ricer which catches the peel when I pass the potatoes through. So it’s a win-win, I don’t have to spend time peeling potatoes AND my mash is smooth and potato skin-free. If you do not have a ricer, I recommend peeling the potatoes and slicing them in half or quarters before cooking.
Baking: finishing the potatoes in the oven is an optional step. It gives the top of the potatoes a nice roasty, caramelized color and this step can be helpful if you’re prepping the potatoes ahead of time and need to keep them warm until the big meal.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 3/4 cup mashed potatoes
- Calories: 258
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 296 mg
- Fat: 14.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.9 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 42.8 mg