Mashed Buttermilk Potatoes With Roasted Garlic

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As most of y’all know, I grew up in Ohio with strong southern roots on my mothers side of the family.   My dads parents were, as you know farmers.  My grandpa Norm was a meat and potatoes man.  Grandma Jean had potatoes with almost every meal.  So of course my dad was a meat and potatoes man as well.   Mom used to make potatoes a lot as well.  We had a garden with a large patch dedicated to this lovely root vegetable too.  Through the winter I can remember having a large wood container full of our home grown spuds in the basement.

I like potatoes well enough.  Baked potatoes have to either have tons of butter, or be loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese and bacon.  Alone they are not much to me other than a dry spud.  Now mashed potatoes are a completely different story.  I can eat them by the bowl full.  I can make a meal of them alone, and when I discovered “Shephard’s pie”, I was in love.

Growing up, mom and grandma Jean and my aunt Carol always loaded the potatoes with butter, salt and just a bit of milk.  I would make the biggest pile on my plate of these smooth creamy spuds.  Then when I started making them on my own a friend of mine, Bob Beaver, showed me how to use seasoning salt and garlic in the potatoes.  Wow, a whole new taste.  Of course then it was time for me to start experimenting.  Now I have made mashed potatoes with everything from onions, garlic, nutmeg, buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, cauliflower, celery root, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, peas, fried onions, bacon, and paprika.   You truly need to just experiement and find a taste that you and your family like.

This is one I use for the holidays that my family enjoys.  I hope you do as well.

Ingredients:

• 3 LBS of Yukon Gold boiling potatoes
• 1/2 cup milk (not 2% or low fat)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 4 cloves garlic

Peel and slice the potatoes in 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a pot of COLD water, turn on the heat until the water begins to boil then turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered until tender. (Placing the potatoes in cold water to start helps the potato to cook evenly.)

While the potatoes are cooking, roast your garlic.  Peel a couple of garlic cloves and place in olive oil in a saute pan and saute for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Then, transfer the garlic to your oven and roast in oven for about 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and pan, smash them well, chop and mash again. You want them to be like a paste.

Fold the garlic into the potatoes. Next, heat your whole milk and butter. Do not let it boil. Remove the milk from the heat. In a pan, place your cooked potatoes and add the most of your hot milk mixture. Next, add the buttermilk and fold. Stir til creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.  To keep the potatoes warm before serving, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for up to 30 minutes. If you need to, add a little more hot milk mixture before serving.