Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Craving a scrumptiously savory twist on classic mashed potatoes? Then these rich and creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes are for you! Prepared with fluffy, buttery mashed red-skinned potatoes kissed with savory roasted garlic cloves and rosemary, this recipe is a terrific accompaniment to your favorite main dish!

Creamy mashed potatoes with a roasted garlic twist

Mashed potatoes from scratch were one of the first foods that my mother taught me how to prepare. She allowed me to make them for our family meals, and also for more "fancy" dinners that involved guests.

The preparation of mashed potatoes is such a relatively simple thing, and doesn't really involve too much technical proficiency and exact ingredients. So it was a very exciting endeavor for me, and made me feel like an active participant in the meal preparation.

That being said, I've been making mashed potatoes for years now as a comfy-cozy side dish. They're the perfect accompaniment to so many main dishes, and I've enjoyed putting my own spin on the recipe over the years as well.

And while I love my basic mashed potatoes recipe, I also really love a flavorful and fragrant helping of roasted garlic mashed potatoes to change things up a bit, and make things a little extra special.

My recipe for roasted garlic mashed potatoes

In addition to using a touch of real butter and half-and-half for my roasted garlic mashed potatoes, I also like a touch of sour cream, some sea salt, and a hint of cracked black pepper for loads of flavor.

When it comes to the garlic, using roasted garlic in this recipe adds such amazing flavor and earthiness...

Adding the roasted garlic gives the mashed potatoes little sweet streaks of caramelized garlic cloves, and a wonderfully earthy aroma. It makes this mashed potatoes recipe extra delicious, and worthy of making a meal out of on its own!

As for the main ingredient, I love a good waxy potato instead of a russet potato. Russets are starchy potatoes, and quite tasty, but they tend to be a little bit on the drier side when it comes to mashed potatoes. They require a lot more liquid and butter.

I prefer to use red-skinned potatoes (or even yellow-skinned) when making mashed potatoes, so I use them both here. They're a bit lighter and creamier in my opinion.

Here's a glance at my roasted garlic mashed potatoes recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I prep and roast my garlic heads.
2. While the garlic roasts, I prepare and cook my potatoes according to my recipe, keeping them warm.
3. Once the garlic heads have roasted, I allow them to cool just long enough for me to be able to handle them. I then squeeze the cloves from the papers and mash them into a bit of a paste or chunky consistency.
4. Next, I fold the garlic into the mashed potatoes, along with some fresh rosemary.
5. To serve, I spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl.

Recipe

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These creamy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes are utterly delicious, brimming with savory roasted garlic cloves and fresh rosemary!

Category: Side
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 338 calories (per serving)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 whole heads garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 3 pounds red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted, softened butter
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• ¾ cup to 1 cup half-and-half (depending on how creamy you like things)
• Black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary (or thyme leaves)

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of the ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To roast the garlic, preheat the oven to 400°, line a small baking sheet with foil. Prepare 3 small additional pieces of foil to wrap the heads in.
3. Cut the tops off of the garlic heads, drizzle with a hint of the olive oil plus a sprinkle of salt, and wrap each individually and tightly in a piece of foil. Place onto the baking sheet and roast for 45 to 50 minutes. Then, remove from oven and allow the heads to cool just enough so that the cloves can be squeezed out of the papers and mashed into a chunky paste, and set that garlic paste aside.
4. While the garlic roasts, prepare your mashed potatoes by placing the cubed potatoes into a medium-large pot (about 6 quart), and fill with enough cold water so that it covers the potatoes by about an inch or two. Add enough salt to the water so that it tastes salty like the ocean.
5. Bring the potatoes to the boil over medium-high to high heat, then reduce the heat slightly so that the potatoes simmer vigorously for about 22 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a paring knife.
6. Next, drain the potatoes well, then place them back onto low heat, uncovered, for about 30 seconds or so to allow the rest of the liquid to evaporate so that the potatoes are nice and dry.
7. Using a masher or a potato ricer (my personal favorite method for lump-free potatoes), mash the potatoes until completely smooth. Then, add in the softened butter, the sour cream and the half-and-half, and fold everything to combine until very creamy.
8. Next, add in the roasted garlic paste, a pinch or two of the black pepper, more salt (if needed), plus the chopped rosemary and/or thyme, and fold that in to incorporate together.
9. Spoon the garlic mashed potatoes into a serving bowl, garnish with a bit of rosemary (or thyme) and more butter, if desired, and serve.

Tips & tidbits for my roasted garlic mashed potatoes recipe:

• Choose waxy potatoes, if possible: While you can certainly use russet potatoes for this recipe, using waxy, red-skinned potatoes will yield a slightly creamier, lighter and fluffier result. If desired, you can substitute Yukon gold or even baby yellow potatoes instead.
• Skin on, or skin off: Depending on whether or not you like a little extra texture in your mashed potatoes, you can either peel the potatoes or leave the skin on—the choice is yours!
• Start with cold water: When preparing mashed potatoes of any kind, be sure to start with cold water. Add your cubed potatoes directly into a pot of cold water, and then bring everything up to the boil together.
• Cook the potatoes in salted water: To ensure that your potatoes have lots of flavor, make sure to add enough salt to the cooking water so that it tastes well seasoned. Potatoes can handle a liberal amount of salt in the water.
• Dairy or even non-dairy: This recipe calls for a little unsalted butter, half-and-half, and a touch of sour cream. But you can go dairy-free by substituting a non-dairy spread, or using a nut or oat milk in place of the half-and-half and sour cream.
• Roasting the garlic heads: Just as a little heads up, I do use 3 whole heads of garlic in my recipe, and that is not a typo! Roasted garlic is much less potent and strong than fresh garlic, much sweeter and mellower, so don't be nervous to use the quantity indicated in the recipe. And when it comes to roasting the heads of the garlic, simply cut the tops off, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, wrap each in foil, and roast for 45 to 50 minutes.
• Other add-ins: If you really would like to take things up yet another level, you can also fold in some parmesan, gruyere or fontina cheese along with the garlic. You could even add in a bit of sautéed baby spinach or kale for a heartier option.

Craving more mouthwatering potato recipes? Check out my recipe for Roasted Potatoes, Stilton Roasted Potatoes, Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Smashed Potatoes with Crispy Parmesan Crust, Twice Baked Potatoes, Stuffed Potatoes with Chicken and Broccoli Sauce, or even my recipe for savory Cheesy Potatoes!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2018, and has been updated with even more love!