Garlic Mashed Potatoes

While Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon recipe is stand-alone delicious with just a hunk of warm, crusty bread to sop up the rich sauce, these garlic mashed potatoes help bring beef stew to a whole other level.

Mashed potatoes, otherwise known as purèe de pommes in MTAOFC, can be a bland landing pad for whatever food you choose to top them with, but everyone knows that is exaclty where the beauty lies - plain old mashed potatoes like nothing better than to be lashed with cheese, butter, salt and fat to become utterly delectable (and just a little naughty).

Julia's recipe for puréed potatoes includes two whole heads of blanched, peeled garlic that are slowly roasted in butter on the stove top. I tried her method, and it since it requires a few more steps than simply roasting whole garlic heads {wrapped in foil in 400-degree oven until they are softly golden} and the results are similar, I recommend using roasted garlic instead.




Some grocery stores sell roasted garlic cloves, which would make things even simpler. If you happen to find fresh-roasted garlic in your local market (but avoid those jars of roasted garlic paste, which can taste kind of nasty), go for it.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Printable recipe here

¼ cup roasted garlic cloves
½ cup milk {reduced fat is fine, but not skim}
½ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
2 pounds potatoes, preferably Idaho or Yukon Gold, peeled and quartered

Purée the garlic, milk and cream in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter; cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring a large a 3-quart or larger pan of water to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and the potatoes. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes; drain.

Arrange a potato ricer over a large heat-proof bowl and press the potatoes through it. If you don’t have a potato ricer {go out and get one - it makes super-smooth mashed potatoes!} just mash the potatoes in the bowl using a potato masher or wooden spoon.

Dribble in the hot milk mixture beat until the potatoes are creamy. Taste and add more salt if you think they need it. I find that they almost always need some – start with ½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon table salt and go from there.

Serve warm, sprinkled with some freshly chopped parsley or chives.

Makes 4 generous or 6 modest side servings.
Inspired by a recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, page 520