I really enjoy mashed potatoes, and garlic mashed are a particular favorite of mine. That being said, I have had more poorly prepared garlic mashed potatoes, than I care to remember.

So, what is the problem? I’d say in most cases, it’s two issues. Too much garlic and/or poorly prepared garlic. My method is simple and delivers a rich garlic flavor, without the bitter bite. The key is the milk.

Ingredients:

2 – 3 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes or similar, unpeeled and cut into 1 inch pieces. If you prefer them peeled, that is totally fine.

8 Tbsp butter.

6 large cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed with the side of your knife.

3/4 cup of Whole Milk

1 1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt

Lots of freshly ground Black Pepper

2 Tbsp fresh Chives, minced.

Preparation:

Put the cut potatoes into a large saucepan and fill with water. Bring it up to a gentle boil and add 1 Tbsp of the salt. Cook until tender and a bit softer than normal boiled potatoes.

Once the potatoes are on the stove. Combine all the milk, garlic and black pepper into a medium/small saucepan and gently simmer You can not over cook the garlic.

Drain the potatoes and put them back into the hot saucepan. Add the garlic mixture and hand mash. Once it’s well incorporated, fold in the butter, salt and chives and serve immediately.

Note: If you need to wait a bit to serve, then cover the pan and take it off the heat. This can buy you about 10 – 15 minutes.