Mashed Yukon Gold

Yukon Gold potatoes have a rich potato-y flavor and a smooth (not too starchy) texture perfect for mashing. The roasted garlic in this recipe makes these potatoes irresistible, but you can use the proportions here to make perfectly delicious mashed potatoes without the garlic if you like. This recipe is also designed to yield 10 servings for Thanksgiving, but you can easily cut it in half for mashed potatoes any day of the week. Here’s the easiest way to cut a potato into even pieces for boiling: Cut the potato in half lengthwise, and lay both halves cut-side down on the cutting board. Cut each half in half or in thirds lengthwise again, and then line all those pieces up and cut them crosswise at even intervals. The actual size doesn’t matter as much as keeping your potato pieces all about the same size so that they’ll cook through evenly at the same rate.

4 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
Cloves from 2 heads roasted garlic (for directions, see the tip box on page 15)
1¼ cups heavy cream, at room temperature

In a large Dutch oven or other large, wide cooking pot, combine the potatoes, 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, and enough cold water to cover the potatoes by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, a total of about 25 to 30 minutes.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the cooking pot over very low heat. Toss the potatoes around for a few seconds to dry them of excess moisture. Add all of the butter, the garlic cloves, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and ¾ cup of the heavy cream. Using a hand masher and moving around the pot in a clockwise manner, mash the potatoes until they are coarsely mashed. Continue adding cream and mashing until the potatoes are mostly smooth. They will have a creamy texture with just a slight chunkiness and yummy bits of skin and garlic throughout. Towards the end of mashing, try using a heatproof spatula to smooth the potatoes out a bit and to arrange them in a serving bowl. Serve hot right away or keep warm using the tip on page 15.

Recipe by Susie Middleton