Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
These smashed potatoes are like mashed potatoes, but we don't peel them, and we mash them only very lightly. Too much mashing would make the starches in the potatoes turn gummy, and we don't want that.This recipe uses sour cream instead of ordinary cream. And we roast the garlic, which brings amazing depth of flavor. In short, yummy.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 Russet (or baking) potatoes, scrubbed
- 3 cloves garlic, peel on
- ½ stick butter
- ¾ cup sour cream
- Kosher salt, to taste
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Roast unpeeled garlic in a small baking dish in the oven for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are done.
- Bring a large pot of salted water (the water should taste salty, almost like seawater) to a boil over medium heat.
- Cut the unpeeled potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into quarters. Each potato should end up cut into eight pieces.
- When the water boils, add the cut potatoes to the water and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a knife.
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add butter and mash lightly with a potato masher.
- Remove garlic from the oven. Let it cool for a minute, then slice off the top of each clove and squeeze the soft, roasted garlic into the mashed potatoes.
- Mash the garlic into the potatoes, then add the sour cream and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Adjust seasoning with Kosher salt and serve right away. Makes about 6 portions.
