Another Crazy Cooking Challenge: Mashed Potatoes

It's time for another Crazy Cooking Challenge.  This month's challenge was to find a blog that had an interesting mashed potato recipe.  Easy, you say.  I say that you would be wrong.

There are a million mashed potato recipes out there, not all of them particularly interesting. A good mashed potato recipe needs to have a little something something to make it interesting because let's face it.  potatoes are not an intrinsically a sexy food.  They're big and white and for those of us in the "know", they represent everything bad in a carbohydrate.  But I love them and so should you.

The thing about mashed potatoes is that they tread a fine line between sublime and wallpaper paste.  The good ones are deliciously earth moving and the bad ones can make you feel as though you're having a heart attack.  A good mashed potato is hard to find.

Garlic...

Potatoes...

Mashed Potatoes

This recipe form Steamy Kitchen is all a mashed potato should be and so much more.  It's got lots of roasted garlic in it and a fair amount of either milk or cream (your choice).  It can be made to be chunky and full of texture or smooth and creamy, each of which has it's merits.

I am usually a fan of smooth and creamy mashed potatoes but I decided that since this was a cooking challenge that I would challenge myself and go the chunky route.  They were absolutely delicious although with all that yummy roasted garlic, they would divine either way -- creamy or chunky.

Give these mashed potatoes a try and take a peek at Steamy Kitchen as well as all the other great blogs participating in this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge.

Recipe:  Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
(Steamy Kitchen)



Note:  If you're roasting garlic, you might as well roast more than one head...you can use the rest for other recipes (it will store in the refrigerator for a few days) or just spread the soft, warm, mellow garlic over toasted baguette.


Ingredients:

1 head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 medium russet potatoes, skin-on scrubbed (for creamy mashed potatoes, peel the potatoes)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4-1/2 cup milk or heavy cream (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off the top 1/2-inch of the garlic off. Lay garlic on piece of tin foil, drizzle olive oil over garlic cloves and close tin foil. Roast for 30 minutes or until the garlic has softened completely and is very tender. Let cool and squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves. Coarsely chop.


2. In the meantime, place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover and bring to boil and cook for 20-25 minutes over medium heat, until you can easily pierce the potato with a fork with very little resistance. Drain potatoes.


3. For Hearty, Skin-On Mashed Potatoes: Return the potatoes to the pot over low heat, add 3 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup milk, salt and roasted garlic. Use garlic masher to mash. Do not over mix or the mashed potatoes will turn gummy. Taste and season with additional salt or milk if needed. Stir in chives.


4. For Creamy and Smooth Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: In the pot, add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, salt and roasted garlic and turn the heat to low. Use a potato ricer to mash the potatoes into the pot. [TIP: If you find that the potatoes need a little more cooking, just put them in the microwave for an additional 2 minutes]. Stir the potatoes. Do not over mix or the mashed potatoes will n gummy. Taste and season with additional salt or milk if needed. Stir in chives.

Recipe:  Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
(Steamy Kitchen Blog)

*  Note:  If you're roasting garlic, you might as well roast more than one head...you can use the rest for other recipes (it will store in the refrigerator for a few days) or just spread the soft, warm, mellow garlic over toasted baguette.

Ingredients:


1 head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 medium russet potatoes, skin-on scrubbed (for creamy mashed potatoes, peel the potatoes)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4-1/2 cup milk or heavy cream (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 teaspoon minced fresh chives

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off the top 1/2-inch of the garlic off. Lay garlic on piece of tin foil, drizzle olive oil over garlic cloves and close tin foil. Roast for 30 minutes or until the garlic has softened completely and is very tender. Let cool and squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves. Coarsely chop.

2. In the meantime, place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover and bring to boil and cook for 20-25 minutes over medium heat, until you can easily pierce the potato with a fork with very little resistance. Drain potatoes.

3. For Hearty, Skin-On Mashed Potatoes: Return the potatoes to the pot over low heat, add 3 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup milk, salt and roasted garlic. Use garlic masher to mash. Do not over mix or the mashed potatoes will turn gummy. Taste and season with additional salt or milk if needed. Stir in chives.

4. For Creamy and Smooth Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: In the pot, add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, salt and roasted garlic and turn the heat to low. Use a potato ricer to mash the potatoes into the pot. [TIP: If you find that the potatoes need a little more cooking, just put them in the microwave for an additional 2 minutes]. Stir the potatoes. Do not over mix or the mashed potatoes will turn gummy. Taste and season with additional salt or milk if needed. Stir in chives.