Growing up in the Midwest we ate plenty of mashed potatoes. It’s a very indulgent and nostalgic dish for me, hence why I have to enjoy them a certain way. My mother, a fantastic cook, usually made them once a week, sometimes more. I think my sister and brother will agree those potatoes still remain her signature dish. She would boil a few cloves of garlic in the water with the potatoes, mash them with my Granny’s antique hand masher and mix with lovely brick of Philadelphia cream cheese and some butter, thinned with just enough milk. Every once in a while she’d replace some of the potatoes with a large sweet potato. “It’s for beta-carotene!” she’d remind us during dinner.
Like Mom, I prefer to hand mash my potatoes, keeping them dense and creamy. Occasionally she’d use a potato ricer, but for me a ricer is another use-once-per-year gadget I don’t need in my small kitchen. I’m not one to bust out an electric or stand mixer for my potatoes, either. I prefer them lumpy and rustic looking in a bowl served with a wooden spoon, rather than a smooth purée.
And yes, I prefer to make them with heavy cream over milk.
Garlic and Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
serves 8
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut in half, or quarters if large
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Place potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt and garlic cloves in a large saucepan or 4-quart pot. Add enough cold water to cover potatoes by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 30 minutes. Drain.
Return potatoes back to the warm saucepan and let them sit for 1 minute (this helps to rid the potatoes of any excess water). Add the cream cheese, butter and milk (or cream, if you’re like me). Mash to desired consistency, adding more milk if too thick. Season with salt and pepper as you see fit and serve warm.