People who don’t know me very well always ask me what I eat for Thanksgiving. These days I point them to this site (or more specifically, to this post). But for most of my non-meat eating life, the answer was a bunch of side dishes. But even that wasn’t quite accurate. Most years, mashed potatoes made up most of my Thanksgiving dinner. Can you blame me? I had an excuse to make a meal of mashed potatoes once a year, and I took it! Even though I eat a more varied vegan Thanksgiving dinner these days, mashed potatoes are still my favorite. And in fact, my mashed potatoes have improved a lot since those first few Thanksgivings without Turkey. Plain old mashed potatoes are great, but mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and dill? You just might have all the non-vegans at your table making an entire meal of mashed potatoes too!
How to Roast Garlic
You need to know this in order to make roasted garlic mashed potatoes. For this recipe we’ll be using two bulbs of garlic. That’s right: two whole bulbs. We can get away with it because roasted garlic has a much milder, more mellow flavor than the raw stuff, or even garlic that’s been briefly sautéed in oil. Cut the top off of each bulb so as to expose the garlic cloves within. Next, place each garlic bulb on a sheet of foil or the base of a garlic roaster. Drizzle them with some olive oil, then close up the foil or place the lid on your roaster. Pop the garlic in the oven and let it bake until the cloves are soft and browned. When the garlic is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for a bit. Once it’s cool enough to handle, you should be able to squeeze it to extract those roasted garlic cloves.
How to Make Mashed Red Potatoes
One of the reasons I like using red potatoes for my mash is that I’m lazy! The skin on red potatoes is thinner and more delicate than on baking potatoes, so I don’t feel the need to remove it. If you prefer no skins in your mashed potatoes, feel free to peel them, but I leave it on. In either case, cut your potatoes into large chunks, stick them in a pot, and add some water. Boil the potatoes until they’re just tender. Tip: don’t overboil your potatoes! This can be tempting because it seems like a longer boiling time would make them softer and fluffier, right? Nope! Boiling potatoes too long will make your mashed potatoes gummy and runny. When the potatoes are done boiling, mash them up with a potato masher. Next, add that roasted garlic, along with some dill, vegan butter, and non-dairy milk. I like to add one raw garlic clove as well, for just a bit of bite. Mash everything again, add more milk if needed, and season your potatoes with salt and pepper.
How to Serve Roasted Garlic & Dill Mashed Red Potatoes
The beauty of these potatoes is that they’ve got enough going on to serve them plain. No gravy required! But if you do want to top them off with some gravy, try my super simple vegan gravy or whiskey mushroom gravy.
Can I use another variety of potato for this recipe? Yup! Yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, can be directly substituted. Baking potatoes such as Russet will work too, but you’ll probably want to peel them. They may also need a few extra minutes of cooking time and some extra milk. Are these mashed potatoes gluten-free? They sure are! My potatoes came out gummy/runny. What gives? They were probably overcooked. Just cook the potatoes until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork, and no longer. Where can I find vegan butter? Check near the regular butter or in the natural foods section of your supermarket. Look for brands such as Earth Balance or Miyoko’s. Can I substitute dried dill and chives? I don’t recommend it. You won’t get as much flavor and the herbs might not rehydrate fully in the potatoes. Want to repurpose your leftover potatoes? Try these mashed potato pancakes! For a twist, add some cheesy flavor to your mashed potatoes by stirring in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes.
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