These roasted garlic mashed potatoes will make you fall in love with potatoes again. And you should! Sadly, potatoes have been lumped with white bread, pasta and white rice as being unhealthy carbs. Potatoes are definitely not guilty as charged (I will get back to that in a bit). What you need to know is that this recipe for a wonderful garlicky mash is versatile enough to pair with lots of other dishes, and is special enough to put on a holiday table or bring to a pot luck. These delicious roasted garlic mashed potatoes can hold their own on any dish.
Potatoes are the Best
Let me confess that I have never met a potato I didn’t like. They were frequently a part of family dinners growing up and always part of Sunday dinner. You see, I come from a big family, and my mom was always bringing people home from church on Sunday. So, potatoes were a great, and affordable, way to make sure everyone left the table feeling satisfied.
Potatoes are NOT a Bad Carb
In my early adult life, I avoided potatoes because I believed the hype that potatoes were fattening and only sweet potatoes were good for you. Like many young women, I was always trying to lose weight and was hungry a lot of the time. When I transitioned to a plant based diet and started really learning how to eat to fuel my body, I happily began eating potatoes again and love how satisfying they are. Honestly, now we eat them all the time! We bake, roast or boil them with minimal or no fat and when we are craving fries, we cook them in the air fryer (a post for another day). There are many ways to add potatoes to your diet in healthful and satisfying ways and I am excited to share one of our favorites.
The Benefits of Potatoes
OK, what do red potatoes bring to the table? Much of the nutrition is in the skin, which is loaded with fiber, B vitamins, iron and and potassium. Remember, fiber is not only essential for gut health, it also is the reason you feel full longer, similar to the feeling when you eat whole grain breads or pasta. Potatoes, however are gluten free and a great option for people who are gluten sensitive. The inside of the potato has 45% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C! Vitamin C supports our immune health and cellular repair. The vitamin C also assists the body to absorb the iron in the skin. How perfect is that? Rich in complex carbohydrates, unprocessed potatoes are one of the best sources of starchy energy available.
Organic is the Way To Go
We always use organic potatoes. Here’s why: every year the Environmental Working Group makes a list of the Dirty Dozen Foods. Now, these are the foods with the highest amount of pesticides when grown conventionally versus grown organically. Alarmingly, potatoes always make the list. Of course, organic potatoes cost a little bit more than conventionally grown ones, but it is totally worth it.
OK, Let’s Make Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
For this recipe, I use red potatoes. I have made it with several kinds, but red is my favorite and I think the red skins get the best looking side dish award. They also have a naturally buttery flavor. But, use what works for you, your favorite or what is on hand.
I’m sure we all can agree that potatoes, in general are awesome. But what takes these mashed potatoes to the next level is the combo of rosemary and a big handful of roasted garlic (if you haven’t made roasted garlic before click over to my easy way to make yummy roasted garlic).
The quantity of roasted garlic mashed potatoes this recipe makes can definitely handle a small crowd. So, if you are heading to a family gathering or potluck, making Sunday dinner, or prepping your meals for the week ahead, this recipe is a big win in terms of taste, health and satisfaction. Time to fall in love with potatoes (again)!
These roasted garlic mashed potatoes will make you fall in love with potatoes again. Delicious, healthy, and full of flavor – vegan mashed potatoes are a hit!
Add enough vegetable broth or salted water to just cover the potatoes and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are quite tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove from heat and pour off, and reserve, about 3/4 of the cooking liquid.
Begin to mash the potatoes, adding the vegan butter, if using, and garlic. You can squeeze the bulb over the potatoes or remove the cloves with a kitchen knife and add them.
Add the rosemary, salt and pepper.
Add the milk and liquid alternately, in small amounts until you reach a desired texture. As you mash, the liquid is absorbed. Red potatoes require less water than russets, so you really just need to have it on hand. It is unlikely that you will need it all, so don’t just dump it in.
Add more salt if necessary. If you use commercially prepared broth, be aware that it may be high in sodium.
Serve and enjoy.
Notes
for the vegan butter we like Earth Balance. It comes in sticks or a tub. either is fine
my favorite brand for the veggie broth is the Vogue Vegebase. Its non-GMO and organic. Great stuff!
Georgia is an unpretentious foodie who, at 50, transitioned from a vegetarian diet to a whole foods plant based diet and is loving it. She works as a nurse, plays as a quilter, loves to run, hates to race.
She thinks dogs are actually angels (in dog suits).
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