For the love of potatoes
Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes get a bad rap for being bad for you. Well, this recipe is plenty bad for you, but it also has all the nutrients of potato skins and all the health benefits of garlic! It looks healthy, tastes heavenly, and is a great way to twist up an old favorite dish.
Here's what you'll need:
- 5 lbs. red potatoes
- ½ head garlic
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 4 oz. butter or margarine
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cutting board
- Good chopping knife
- Your biggest pot with lid
- Small non-stick pan
- Potato masher
- Electric hand mixer
Put it all together...
Wash all of the potatoes, and cut them into roughly 2-inch pieces. No need to get precise. Just remember to leave the skins on! Place all the pieces in an 8qt or larger pot, and add just enough water to cover the top layer of potatoes. Cover, put on high heat, and stir occasionally until it starts to boil.
Meanwhile... peel and chop the garlic fine. Put a thin pat of butter in a small non-stick pan over low-medium heat. When the butter is melted, drop in the garlic and stir while it sizzles. Don't let it burn! When the garlic is hot and smelling delicious, take it off the heat and set it aside.
By now, your potatoes should be bubbling. Remove the cover and drop the heat to medium-high. Let the potatoes boil, stirring occasionally, until the skins start falling off and a large piece of potato breaks apart if you poke it with a fork.
Remove the pot from the heat and pour/shake out all the water. Slice the butter and cream cheese into the potatoes, and add the garlic. Mash everything together until it's smoothly mixed, then whip the potatoes into a fluffy frenzy with an electric hand mixer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6 to 8, and always tastes better on the second day (hot or cold!).
No dairy? No problem!
Substitute the cream cheese and butter with 8 to 10 oz. Earth Balance Natural Margarine. It's lactose and gluten free, and 100% vegan. Expect to add a little less salt.
Related
Comments
Love the red skins! They make mashed potatoes look so sinfully delicious and they are so good for you. And I'm so lucky. I don't have to make them to get them. I'll make the beef, you bring the taters. Well done!
One word. Delicious
This is going on my menu! That is, when I ever find the time to cook! If all else fails, I'm coming to your house :)
Great hub!
I love mashed potatoes, this sounds delicious.
- Author
Thank you everyone for your kind comments on my first ever hub!
Wow, this is one I will certainly try! Thanks for the recipe.
I look for excuses to put cream cheese in anything. Can't wait to try this.
- Author
Rhym, here's another excuse for cream cheese if you haven't tried it already: cream cheese and salsa together in a bowl, zapped for a few minutes in the microwave!
Are you kidding? I live in Texas and we put salsa with/on everything. But I do have an awesome quiche recipe that uses cream cheese and imitation crab, and ironically, salsa. It's one of my husbands favorites. Dare I say that cream cheese is the new Velveta? ;)
Rhyme, I hope you make a hub out of the imitation crab quiche. My mother is nuts over imitation crab.
You've hit on one of my two favorites, which are mashed potatoes and (real, beefsteak) tomatoes. Sounds like a great recipe, but I just like to mash up a lot of potatoes with plenty of whole milk and real butter with a pinch of salt. You can't beat it!
MMMMMMM, I love imitation crab also. Sounds like a yummy recipe! Please publish it :)
Patty
- Author
William, it's coming on the season for your tomatoes, I hope you have lots to enjoy!
I'll go for imitation crab over real crab any day, Trish!
I am nuts over mashed potatoes. This is a new recipe for me,,,YUM. You and Sally's Trove and Trish in the kitchen....what a picture!! Make room for one more? LOL
I'll use this recipe. My husband brings home fresh potatoes from his job. You wouldn't believe how much better they are compared to store bought potatoes.
- Author
Hi marisue! Okay, it's only taken 5 weeks to respond to your comment. I'm a naughty hubber... Thanks for checking out the recipe, it's one of my favorites. I can speak for Sally that you're definitely invited to the kitchen - we can always use another chopper!
- Author
moonlake, I hope you enjoy trying this recipe. I don't think I've ever had home-grown potatoes, but I'll bet they're wonderful!
I'm a potato lover from waaaay back! Love um just about every way you can fix them and will definetely try out this recipe! My grandson calls them "smashed up potatoes".
Looking forward to reading more from you!!
- Author
Thanks, Ruthie! This is definitely my favorite way to make spuds. Let me know how you like it!
I just recently started adding red potatoes to my menu planning. I'll put this recipe in my recipe box. Have you tried herbed red potatoes? That's another quick and yummy dish.
- Author
I'm glad the recipe interests you, Die'Dre'! Herbed potatoes sound awesome - what kind of herbs do you use? Do you roast the potatoes?
Hey, annemaeve, I just wanted to let you know that I froze the leftovers of your garlic mashed potatoes a couple of months ago and resurrected them the other night from the freezer. Fantastic!
I had frozen them in a freezer-safe and microwave-safe container, then heated them for about four minutes in the micro, whipped them up a bit with a fork, and they are delicious, just like the day they were made.
So much for the commercial *country crock* offerings in the supermarket...yours are supreme, and so easy to freeze and reheat.
Thumbs up to you, again.
- Author
Rock on, Sally! Weren't they from Thanksgiving? Good for you for having the self-control to put them in the freezer, and keep them for this long!
I'm glad they made you a little warmer tonight.
Country Crock, Country Schmock!
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