Garlic Mashed Potatoes

DSC_0002

Who can resist this most comforting of the comfort foods? Garlic mashed potatoes might take a bit more fussing than simply throwing a few spuds in the oven for an hour so, but the end result is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

  • 4 large potatoes
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1/3 cup heated milk
  • 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Peel potatoes and cut into medium sized chunks.
  2. Place potatoes into medium sized saucepan and cover with lightly salted water over high heat.
  3. When water boils turn heat down to medium high and continue to boil until potatoes soften and are cooked through (about 15 minutes).
  4. While the potatoes are boiling melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat and add the minced garlic.
  5. Sauté the garlic in the butter until the garlic and the butter begin to brown slightly. Watch this mixture closely as the garlic and butter can go from slightly brown to burnt and bitter very quickly!
  6. Drain the potatoes, place them back in the pot and add butter/garlic mixture. Mash together until the potatoes, butter and garlic bits are well mixed.
  7. Add the heated milk and continue to mash and mix until everything is light and fluffy.
  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

DSC_0012

* All photos used on Planet Janet Kitchen belong to the author and photographer, Janet Moore and may not be re-posted without permission.

Advertisement

Roasted Garlic Aioli

roasted garlic

I love the mellow flavour of roasted garlic in this aioli. The roasted garlic aioli makes a great dip with fresh veggies or, it can be slathered on the bun when making turkey sliders or ground sirloin burgers. I often perk up a tuna melt or egg salad by substituting roasted garlic aioli for regular mayonnaise. No doubt you will find your own uses for this versatile sauce! Read the Quick Tip below for an easier and less time consuming version of this yummy roasted garlic aioli.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole garlic bulb
  • 1T olive oil
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 large egg yolk (or two small yokes)
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2/3 cup oil

Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

  1. Brush off any loose bits of the paper-like outer coating of the whole garlic bulb. Cut the top off the whole bulb.
  2. Place the bulb on a piece of aluminum foil 6” x 6” square and drizzle 1 T olive oil down into the bulb so the oil surrounds the individual garlic cloves in the bulb.
  3. Wrap the foil around the garlic bulb, put the foil packet on a cookie sheet and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and open up the foil packet to let the garlic bulb cool. When you can handle it easily, separate into individual cloves and then squeeze the cloves out of their paper-like covers into a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and mash into a paste with the back of a metal table spoon. Set aside.
  4. Place egg yolk in the blender container with the lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Process on high speed while slowly drizzling the oil through the opening in the top of the blender cover. The oil will blend with the yolk mixture and will emulsify as you slowly drizzle it, drop by drop into the blender. You can tell the oil is emulsifying as it will turn the yolk mixture an opaque whitish colour (just like mayonnaise). Take your time with this process … it can’t be rushed!
  5. When all the oil has been incorporated into the aioli stop the blender and add the mashed garlic. Process on a high speed until the roasted garlic is completely blended into the aioli sauce.

Yield: ¾ cup Quick Tip If you are in a hurry you can do steps 1 through 3 and then simply combine the mashed roasted garlic with 2/3 cup of prepared mayonnaise and 1 tsp of Dijon mustard. This makes a fine version of roasted garlic aioli. If you want the sauce to be a bit thinner, just add 1 or 2 T of milk and mix well.

roasted garlic aioli