Guys, this is one of my favorite side dishes of all time – and frankly I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it here on the blog. Slow roasted garlic, butter, fresh parsley, and tender red potatoes mashed up into a delicious heap of goodness.
It’s a nice change of pace from the traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, and the flavor is just wonderful. It takes a little bit more time and forethought, as you have to roast the garlic ahead of time before mashing the potatoes – but trust me, it’s worth it! Roasting the garlic, as opposed to just using garlic powder, really mellows and deepens the flavor – so it doesn’t have that harsh bite that many garlic mashed potatoes have.
I like to add parsley, for a little pop of color and bright flavor, but it’s great with other herbs as well – I’ve used some chopped rosemary and thyme in the past, and both were wonderful. This side dish would be great on your Easter table, paired with ham or turkey. Or, it’s always my go-to side to serve with a homey traditional dish like meatloaf. It’s a favorite in my family, and I know it will be one in yours as well.
Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes
10-15 cloves garlic (about 1/4 cup), peeled
2 tsp olive oil
2 lbs red potatoes, washed and scrubbed
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup half and half
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place garlic cloves in a shallow ramekin or baking dish with the olive oil. Toss to coat. Place in oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until garlic is golden brown. Remove from oven and turn off heat. When cool enough to handle, chop into relatively small pieces and set aside.
While garlic is roasting, prepare the potatoes. Fill a large dutch oven or saucepan with water, add 1 Tbsp of kosher salt and stir to combine. Using a potato peeler, remove about half of the skin from each potato. I usually take the strip off of the center, leaving some skin at the top and bottom. Cut potatoes in half vertically and place in the pot of water.
Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife – about 20 minutes. Remove to a colander and drain, then return to the pot and let sit on the stove, uncovered, for a few minutes to dry out.
Place the butter and half and half in a microwave-safe dish. Place in microwave and warm until butter is just melted – about 45 seconds.
Add the roasted garlic, as well as the melted butter mixture to the potatoes. Using a potato masher or pastry cutter, gently smash up the potatoes. You want them cohesive, but still a little but chunky. Add about 1 tsp of kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper, as well as the chopped parsley. Using a rubber spatula, mix to combine. Season to taste with additonal salt and pepper if necessary before serving.
