Goal: Develop the consummate garlic mashed potatoes: soft, creamy, and supple in texture and earthy, buttery, and garlicky in flavor.

Solution: Toast the garlic cloves, use melted butter, and stir in half-and-half after adding the butter.

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
Serves 4

Avoid using unusually large garlic cloves, which will not soften adequately during toasting. Yukon Gold, red, russet, or white potatoes can be used--each turns out a different texture. For smooth mashed potatoes, a food mill or potato ricer fitted with the finest disk is the best choice. For chunky mashed potatoes, use a potato masher, decrease the half-and-half to 3/4 cup, and mash the garlic to a paste with a fork before you add it to the potatoes.
22 small to medium-large garlic cloves (about
3 ounces, or 2/3 cup) from 2 medium heads garlic,
skins left on
2 pounds potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup half-and-half, warm
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Ground black pepper

1. Toast garlic, covered, in small skillet over lowest possible heat, shaking pan frequently, until cloves are dark spotty brown and slightly softened, about 22 minutes. Off heat, let stand, covered, until fully softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Peel cloves and, with paring knife, cut off woody root end (see illustration 1, below). Set aside.
2. While garlic is toasting, place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potatoes with very little resistance), 20 to 30 minutes. Drain.
3. Set food mill or ricer over now empty but still warm saucepan. Spear potato with dinner fork, then peel back skin with paring knife (illustration 2, below). Working in batches, cut peeled potatoes into rough chunks and drop into hopper of food mill or potato ricer along with peeled garlic (illustration 3). Process or rice potatoes into saucepan.
4. Stir in butter with wooden spoon until incorporated; gently whisk in half-and-half, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES WITH SMOKED GOUDA AND CHIVES

In this variation, smoked Gouda and chives give the garlic mashed potatoes an irresistible flavor.

Follow recipe for Garlic Mashed Potatoes, reducing salt to 1 1/4 teaspoons and stirring in 4 ounces grated smoked Gouda cheese (1 cup) along with half-and-half; set pot over low heat and stir until cheese is melted and incorporated. Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives.

I Say Potato...
We're an opinionated bunch here, but agreement isn't so difficult to reach in the test kitchen ... unless the issue at hand is what kind of potato to use for mashed potatoes. This is my story, and I favor russet potatoes. For those of you looking for a different potato to mash, here's the skinny on your options.
Round red Mashed potatoes made with red potatoes, usually available as Red Bliss, were absent any potato flavor except for a faint sweetness that appealed to a few tasters. The texture, which was extremely velvety and dense, proved an asset to some, a liability to others, especially those in the light and fluffy camp, who called these mashed potatoes gummy and pasty.
Round white (also called all-purpose) All-purpose potatoes produced the lightest colored mashed potatoes. The lack of potato flavor--sweet, earthy, or otherwise--allowed the garlic flavor to come to the fore, where it met with the approval of some tasters. Others described the flavor as fleeting and one-dimensional. The texture was slightly dense, heavy, and pasty.
Russet Mashed potatoes made from russets were the archetypal mashed potatoes. They had an earthy potato flavor coupled with a mild sweetness, and they were the creamiest and fluffiest of the bunch (although a couple of tasters characterized them as loose and watery). These were liked by some, loved by none . . . except me.
Yukon Gold Yukon Gold potatoes have a buttery yellow color and a mildly sweet and buttery flavor to match, but they are very light on potato flavor. They mashed into thick and creamy--but neither dense nor heavy--mashed potatoes that met with neither jeers nor cheers.

September, 2000



Original article and recipes by Dawn Yanagihara

 
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