For years I have struggled to make mashed potatoes taste buttery without dairy. I avoid using margarine in general, but capturing a creamy texture and flavor proved difficult without it. This year I experimented with olive oil, roasted garlic and rosemary in my mashed potatoes. The results are amazing! This is my new go-to recipe… I actually like it better than mashed potatoes made with butter and cream.
These Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes truly taste buttery. I got the basic idea from the New York Times cooking section, then modified the process until I found a perfect balance of flavors. The key is choosing quality ingredients and a good, mild flavored olive oil. I use Bragg Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and it’s just right for this purpose. Yukon Gold potatoes provide the best texture and flavor. Simmering fresh rosemary with the potatoes gives them just a hint of herby flavor. Delicious!
Slow roasting the garlic cloves in olive oil is key here. This gentle process gives a lovely garlicky essence to the mash. If you like a stronger garlic flavor, chop the roasted cloves and whip them into the mash at the end. For my family, the olive oil alone has more than enough garlicky flavor.
This recipe is vegan, healthy, parve and flavorful. Prepare to be amazed!
Recommended Products:
Bragg Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves peeled - remove any green germs/sprouts from the cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Salt to taste
- Black or white pepper to taste
NOTES
Instructions
- Add extra virgin olive oil to a small skillet. Place the garlic cloves in the skillet. Heat the olive oil over medium for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully, until it just begins to sizzle around the edges of the cloves. Don't let them sizzle too long or you will start to fry them.
- Reduce heat to low/medium low. Stir well to coat the cloves in the hot oil. Let the garlic cook slowly for 20-30 minutes, stirring and flipping the cloves every few minutes, until the cloves are soft, tender and golden. While garlic is roasting, proceed to next step.
- Wrap the 2 sprigs of rosemary in a piece of cheesecloth and tie in a bundle.Fill a large saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes by 2-3 inches. Boil the water.
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the cooking water after it starts boiling. Add the potato chunks to the boiling water along with the rosemary bundle. Let the potatoes cook for roughly 20 minutes until tender.When garlic is done roasting, remove the roasted cloves with a slotted spoon and let the oil cool.
- When potatoes are done cooking, remove the rosemary bundle and discard. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the potatoes in a colander. Return potatoes to the hot pot. Use an electric hand mixer or a potato masher to begin mashing the potatoes. Be sure to beat on the lowest speed throughout the process. When the potatoes have turned crumbly, add all of the olive oil and a bit of the cooking water (adding 1-2 tablespoons at a time) and continue mashing until the texture you desire is achieved. Add additional salt and pepper to taste as desired.
- I prefer a using an electric hand mixer for a very smooth, creamy mash. One caveat - you should ONLY mix until you achieve the desired texture. If you mix too long or on too high a speed, your potatoes will become gummy. You can also use a hand masher if you prefer, which will eliminate the risk of gummy potatoes. Hand masher tends to work better for very large batches.
- The olive oil will impart a nice mild garlic flavor to the potatoes. If you want a very garlicky mash, you can mince the roasted garlic cloves and stir them into the mash. Taste before adding; my family prefers it without the added garlic.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
I made this recipe for the seder dinner. It was so good that it disappeared! I like garlic so I chopped it up and added it to the mashed potatoes. I didn’t add pepper or additional salt since I didn’t feel that it was needed. As for potatoes, I couldn’t find Yukon Gold and used baking potatoes instead – they tasted great. I would definitely make these again.
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