The cold has finally left me to recover: it went on its hellish way to ruin someone else’s week (thank goodness) and I can finally return to you lovely readers as my somewhat sane self.
Ugh.
Who knew I was so terrible at handling colds?
Nobody answer that. The truth is, I have been so excited about Thanksgiving that this whole “being sick” thing put a serious damper on it.
Seriously, I was supposed to share these two, COUNT ‘EM TWO mashed potato recipes with you on Friday.
But I had to wait until right now to post them. You can imagine how distraught I was to keep them from you….
But now they are here in all their glory!
You may be wondering why I am sharing two recipes for mashed potatoes in one post. A few weeks back I was given the task of mashed potatoes for Thanksigivng at Josh’s parents’ house.
DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!
I think that’s how you’d spell that sound. It’s the super intense shocking cliff-hanger sound.
You get the idea.
Anyway, being in charge of the potatoes on Thanksgiving is a big deal. Think about it: everyone eats the mashed potatoes.
Stuffing? Not for everyone. (Weird, right??)
Green bean casserole? Meh
Mashed potatoes?
GIVE ME ALL OF THEM!
So, as you can imagine, I needed to try out multiple recipes to ensure I had the perfect side dish to bring at the end of November.
So today I bring you two sumptuous side dishes perfect for your Thanksgiving table, or for any time you feel the need for decadent mashed potatoes.
In one corner, we have the Illustrious, the Savory, the Robust Roasted Garlic and Fresh Thyme Mashed Potatoes!
These spuds have two whole heads of freshly roasted garlic mashed in along with a healthy handful of chopped thyme.
His challenger, the Decadent, the Sinful, the Cheesy Brown Butter and Gruyere Mashed Potatoes!
A little self explanatory, but these ‘taters (sorry, I only have two nicknames for potatoes) are mashed to perfection with plenty of grated gruyere cheese and rich brown butter.
LET’S GET READY TO EAT ALL THE POTATOES RUMBLE!!!
Though I did love each recipe immensely, I have to say the Brown Butter and Gruyere came out on top. There’s just no way I can say no to cheese in my potatoes mixed with the heavenly flavors that come from browned butter.
Though I plan on going back to those Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mashed Potatoes for many more recipes….
can anyone say Roasted Garlic Shepherd’s Pie??
I’ve included both recipes below so you can pick and choose which ones to try, though be warned….
once you try them, you may not be able to stop!
Happy Baking Mashing!
Mashed Potatoes: Two Ways
Ingredients
For the Brown Butter and Gruyere Mashed Potatoes:
- 2 lbs potatoes scrubbed clean
- 8 tbsp 1 stick butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese plus more for topping
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs potatoes scrubbed clean
- 1/2 stick 4 tbsp butter
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 head's worth roasted garlic*
- 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For Brown Butter and Gruyere Mashed Potatoes
- Add potatoes to a large stockpot and cover with enough water by about 1 inch (potatoes should be completely submerged).
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender (a knife should easily pierce them). Drain and let sit for 5 minutes, then carefully peel, if desired, and cut into small chunks.
- While potatoes are boiling, brown your butter. Heat butter in a deep, medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it begins to foam, stir it constantly and continue to cook it until it begins to turn a rich, caramel brown color. It will also begin to smell slightly nutty. Remove from heat immediately and set aside until ready to use.
- In your stockpot (that you boiled your potatoes in), pour in your milk and browned butter and heat over low until warmed. Add cut potatoes and half of Gruyere cheese, remove from heat, and mash.
- Add rest of gruyere cheese gradually as you continue to mash potatoes to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm, with additional Gruyere if desired.
For Roasted Garlic and Thyme Mashed Potatoes
- To roast garlic: cut top-third off of 2 large heads of garlic to expose the cloves. Drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over each, then wrap each head of garlic in aluminum foil. Place in baking pan and cook at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until garlic is soft and even slightly squishy. Remove from head and mash with a fork. Set aside until ready to use.
- Add potatoes to a large stockpot and cover with enough water by about 1 inch (potatoes should be completely submerged).
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender (a knife should easily pierce them). Drain and let sit for 5 minutes, then carefully peel, if desired, and cut into small chunks.
- In your stockpot (that you boiled your potatoes in), add milk, butter, garlic and thyme and heat over low until warmed and butter is melted. Add cut potatoes and mash to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve warm, with additional thyme if desired.
