Not Just Any Ole Mashed Potatoes

 I love potatoes - chips, fries, mashed. Its really hard to choose a favorite but when it comes to dinner I have to say mashed potatoes are one of my all time favorite side dishes. These mashed potatoes are not just any ole mashed potatoes these are the most flavorful yet simple mashed potatoes you could make. I've always really enjoyed some good roasted garlic mashed potatoes but I don't always have the time to roast garlic or sometimes I think of it to late and don't want to wait for the garlic to roast. This recipe eliminates that problem all together. I picked up this trick from watching food network.



What you'll need:
*Vegetable peeler
*Cutting Board
*Knife
*A strainer
*A pot
*Something to mash with (potato masher or hand mixer)

Ingredients:
4-5 medium sized russet potatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
Water
Salt & Pepper
1 stick of butter
1 cup or so of milk

Now for the how to:
First things first peel your potatoes. Next you'll want to quarter them. This will help the potatoes cook evenly and will even help reduce your cooking time. Once the potatoes are cut drop them into a pot of water and salt the water with a couple teaspoons of salt. Next thing you'll want to do is add 3-4 cloves of garlic to the water. Before I put the garlic in the water I like to mash the garlic with the knife to help bring out its flavor. Cook on medium high heat until your potatoes are fork tender. This will take approximately 20-25 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked strain them and set them aside while you move on to the next step which is heating up the milk and the butter. I heated up about 3/4 cup of milk and half of a stick of butter. Once the butter is melted you can turn off the heat and return the potatoes to the pot. Now its time to mash. You may notice that you'll need to add a little more milk. I ended up adding probably another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk. It depends on the consistency that you prefer. I like my mashed potatoes smooth and creamy. (So the more milk and butter the better.) Be sure to add salt and pepper to taste. Once you have the potatoes all mashed toss a chunk of butter on top and cover the pot until you're ready to serve. If you like mashed potatoes and if you like garlic I promise this recipe will not disappoint.