Updated June 2014

Growing up in the Midwest, we lived on “meat and potatoes”.  My mother made mashed potatoes often, usually from “spuds” that we grew in our garden and had stored in the cellar for winter.  As kids, our favorites were mashed potatoes and gravy or mashed potatoes with butter.  The gravy or butter really added the great flavor.  I still love those dishes today, but wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to have the great flavor without the fat?  Well, roasted garlic is one easy and tasty way.

Our Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes recipe is really simple and they taste scrumptious.  The roasted garlic adds a nice mild garlic flavor to the potatoes.  You can adjust the amount of garlic, depending on your preference (we like lots!).  I’ve found that Yukon Gold or Red potatoes have a nice creamy texture.  We keep the skins on our potatoes, since the skin is the primary source of dietary fiber and many other vitamins.  It gives the dish a more “rustic” appearance, it’s really healthy and it fits well with the garlic.

With the sweet roasted garlic flavor you don’t need to add butter or gravy.  By using non-fat dairy products the recipe is very low in fat.  Potatoes have gotten a bad rap in the last few years because of the “low carbs” fad and the fact that they often obtain fat from the cooking method or added ingredients.  Avoid the French fries, potato chips and baked potato toppings. Basic potatoes have been a very good food source for ages and they still are today.

Reasons our Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe is Eco Friendly

• Vegetables are low carbon producing foods.

• No disposable packaging to recycle or throw away.

Reasons our Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe is Healthy

• Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B6, potassium and dietary fiber (with skins)

• Garlic is widely documented as a great antioxidant high in vitamins C and B6 as well as manganese, selenium and calcium.

• No preservatives or pesticides when using organic ingredients.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Yukon Gold or Red potatoes, quartered with skin on
1 bulb roasted rarlic – cloves removed from skin
    (see our Roasted Garlic recipe)
¼ cup (4 oz.) parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
½ cup (8 oz.) non-fat sour cream
salt and pepper to taste.
A dash of non-fat milk
    (optional for even creamier texture)

Recipe Summary:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Makes 8 cups

Note:
You will need a Hand mixer and a Colander

Directions:
Roast a bulb of garlic as outlined in our Roasted Garlic recipe.  They can be roasted days in advance, and stored in the refrigerator.  Remove the soft garlic cloves from the skin.

Wash and scrub the potatoes and cut them into cubes.  Put about 4 quarts of water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender when you pierce them with the fork.

Drain the potatoes in the colander and return them to the pan with the roasted garlic cloves, sour cream and parmesan cheese.  Blend the mixture with a hand mixer until smooth.  You can make the texture even creamier by adding a little non-fat milk and blending more, if desired.  Add salt and pepper to taste.