In our house just about anything with garlic and potatoes in the recipe means success. Mark is a self-proclaimed “meatatarian” and is a major potato lover. I, along with being a huge chocoholic, am also a garlicoholic. Great word, huh? In 2006 we were in San Francisco and caught the Angels-Giants game, which of course meant having their famous garlic fries. Let me tell you, they were as good as advertised with tons of garlic which the four of us devoured in record time. I even got to clean the little paper boat of each and every savory little morsel of remaining garlic.
I came across this recipe while perusing Pinterest, glass of wine in hand, in front of the TV. I should take a picture of this multitasking feat but I’m sure many of you have done it as well. Maybe not with wine, but with your drink of choice. I made these a few years ago then forgot about them. There is no good reason for this as they meet all my requirements of being easy, delicious and RV friendly. It got buried among all the other side dish pins. Not anymore. It is safely pinned to my All Star page now where all my most treasured Pinterest finds are. Tried it, loved it and will make it again.
Delicious as it Looks is who we thank for this most yummy side dish. I did modify it just a tad. I like skin on but Mark isn’t all the way there yet. He’s okay with some skin but not a lot so I peel half the potatoes; that way both of us are happy. Maybe this is the key to long lasting marriages; 1/2 peeled potatoes. I kid. Being a major garlic lover, we use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder. You can use garlic powder just like the recipe and it’s still just as good. If using fresh, use as much or as little as you like. When I make the full recipe, I use three or four cloves, depending on their size.
Tonight it was just the two of us for dinner so I cut the recipe in half. Most times I’ll still make the full recipe and enjoy the leftovers for lunch but we won’t have a chance for leftovers this week. It is going to be a busy eat out with customers kind of week and I can’t let leftovers go to waste.
Wash and cut the potatoes. You can leave them all with the skin on or peel some, whichever you prefer. Add one teaspoon kosher salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes.
Drain potatoes and add remaining ingredients to the pot. I get a little lazy with the butter as I don’t cut it into chunks. I drop the butter in the pan with the hot, just drained potatoes and put the lid on. It melts nicely while I mince the garlic and measure the cheese and sour cream. I’ve used low-fat sour cream without an issue.
I give it a good mix with my handy hand held Kitchen Aid mixer, leaving some chunks. This next part is important: eject the beaters, walk over to the sink and enjoy the first taste all to yourself.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is you can double or triple it to feed a crowd, which is great when you’re camping with friends and sharing meals. Or, like tonight, you can cut it in half with ease. I had closer to a pound of potatoes so I heaped the sour cream and added a tiny bit of milk.
We’ve had these amazing fluffy potatoes with many dishes. Tonight it was paired with grilled chicken breast and asparagus. We also just had them on Valentine’s Day with a wonderful bacon wrapped filet and steamed artichokes. Whatever you pair it with, these will quickly move to your own All Star list.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 1.5 pounds red potatoes, quartered with skin on
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (modification: we use freshly minced garlic, 3 or 4 cloves depending on size)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (modification: low fat works just fine)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in chunks
Wash and cut potatoes. You can leave the skin on or peel them. Add kosher salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer until fork tender, about 25 minutes.
Drain the water and add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Cover to let the butter and cheese melt better. Whip potatoes using hand-held electric mixer, leaving chunks if you’d like.