Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I have a friend who goes crazy over these roasted garlic mashed potatoes, so it’s a requirement that they be on my Thanksgiving table when she’s here.

I have this Roasted Garlic Express, which was sent to me last year as a sample. For most, it’s a needless gadget, but it does make roasting garlic easy and quick. Therefore, I do a lot more roasted garlic stuff because I don’t have to put the garlic in the over for an hour before it’s ready.

If you don’t have a roaster, though, just cut off the very top of a head of garlic, remove the papery skin, wrap it up in foil with a couple tablespoons of oil and roast it in a 400-degree oven for 30-35 minutes it’s tender. There’s a good tutorial here.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (These are my favorites for mashing)
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter, chopped
1 head roasted garlic (or two. Or three. How much do you like garlic?)
Dried rosemary
Salt and pepper

Wash and chop the potatoes into small, even cubes. Boil them in water until fork-tender. Return them to the pot and let them remain on the stove over the hot burner. This evaporates moisture from the potatoes, aiding in the fluffiness factor.

Put the potatoes in a large bowl. Mash them by your preferred method — I use the KitchenAid mixture. Heat up the cup of milk and soften two tablespoons of butter. While mashing, slowly add the milk and butter, whipping to combine thoroughly. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper.

Spoon the potatoes into a casserole dish. Top with the additional two tablespoons of butter, sliced into thin pats. Sprinkle dried rosemary on top. Put the dish into a preheated oven and bake just until the butter has melted and the edges are slightly browned.

Warm Sweet Potato Salad

I love fall. Everything about it makes me happy — sweaters, changing leaves, apple cider, chilly mornings snuggling with my husband and dog. What makes me particularly happy is the return of cooking with fall ingredients. Now, I use sweet potatoes all year round, but in this particular dish, I combine it with cranberries and walnuts for a decidely autumn flavor.

I used bacon to make the dish even more savory and wonderful, but it can be easily omitted for a vegetarian dish.

Warm Sweet Potato Salad
4 sweet potatoes, diced
¾ cup crumbled goat cheese
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) olive oil
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
¼ cup walnuts (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes in 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread them out on a baking sheet. Roast them for 20 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and place in a medium-sized serving bowl. Add cranberries and chili powder, as well as walnuts and bacon, if using. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the dish and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle goat cheese and fresh oregano on top; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.