I used to eat only boxed mashed potatoes. Gasp, I know. But that’s how my mom made them for Thanksgiving. I never really grasped the concept of making mashed potatoes from actual potatoes. Then one year, I stored my mashed potatoes in the same bin as my dryer sheets when I moved. And when it was time to eat mashed potatoes…they tasted like my dryer sheets.

I am scarred for life.

I learned how to make mashed potatoes from real potatoes. It was a lot easier than I expected. And again I have no recipe.

First I take a whole bulb of garlic. Slice off the top, drizzle olive oil over and in it. Wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven. Whenever I eat mashed potatoes, it is usually with a roasted dish, so at the point it’s already on.

Peel and cube the potatoes. I think I used about 4 russets. Then cover with cold water and salt. Boil until fork tender. After those are done cooking, I drain them and set aside. In a small sauce pan I heat up a little cream, then peel the roasted garlic and then toss them into the pot. I let them infuse until bubbling but not boiling.

After the potatoes are drained, I put them back in the pot, and using a potato masher I mash it with butter (to taste) and add the garlic and a little bit of cream at a time until its the preferred texture. Here you can mash and add salt and pepper to taste as well!

Sorry I don’t have a recipe. I hoping it will be intuitive enough. If not, I’m sure there’s plenty of recipes to follow, like this one!