Rosemary and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Light, fluffy, buttery, creamed mashed potatoes infused with rosemary and garlic. So simple, yet so good. Wonderful with lamb and beef but also delightful with chicken and a meaty fish, such as halibut.
Ingredients
- 800g peeled potatoes, such as Maris Piper, King Edwards (NB 800g is peeled weight)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 12g/3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 5-6g finely chopped rosemary leaves (NB 5-6g is prepared weight)
- 80g unsalted butter
- 50g – 150g double/heavy cream, as required
- freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks.
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Cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until soft. This will take 15 – 25 minutes, depending on the type and size of the potatoes.
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When the potatoes are soft, drain well using a sieve or colander, and leave to steam dry for a few minutes.
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As the potatoes cook, remove the rosemary leaves from the stems and finely chop. Peel and crush the cloves of garlic.
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Heat the butter, in a small pan over a moderate heat, and add the rosemary and garlic. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes until aromatic and the garlic and rosemary are soft. Set aside.
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When the potatoes are ready and well drained, add the rosemary and garlic butter, as well as 50g double cream. Mash the potatoes with either a potato masher or an electric whisk.
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Whisk until light and fluffy, adding more cream as needed. (NB If you are using an electric whisk, rather than a potato masher, stop whisking as soon as the potatoes are light and fluffy. If you over-whisk, the potatoes may become waxy in texture.)
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The potatoes are now ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
Equipment:
- saucepan
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- chopping board and knife
- sieve/colander
- masher/electric whisk
- small frying pan
- garlic crusher
A few basic tips and you will have perfect mashed potatoes every time:
- use the correct potatoes. You need potatoes which are high in starch, not waxy potatoes. The best to use are Maris Piper, King Edwards, Russets, Yukon Gold.
- cut the potatoes into as similar size chunks as possible – this ensures they cook at the same rate.
- add cold, not boiling, water to the potatoes to cook. If you add boiling water, the outside of the potato will be cooked before the inside and they may collapse. Cold water will ensure more even cooking.
- add salt to the potatoes and water at the beginning of cooking. This will ensure even flavouring.
- make sure the potatoes are soft all the way through before draining, so that they mash well.
- drain the potatoes thoroughly and leave them to steam dry for a few minutes, before mashing.
- do not over work the potatoes when mashing. Stop as soon as they are light and fluffy. If you overwork them, they may turn waxy and gluey.
- gently cook the rosemary and garlic to soften only. You do not want them to brown.