These mashed potatoes are baked to perfection! Heavenly soft and fluffy on the inside, perfectly crispy on the outside – this extra special, extra tasty potato side-dish will deliciously complete a cozy dinner party spread, or be one of the tastiest stars of your Thanksgiving or Christmas menus!
Once the garlic is perfectly roasted, the mashed potatoes take only 30 minutes to make, then baked for another 20 minutes to make them crispy on top. They can also easily be reheated for just 20 minutes if you want to make them ahead of time. Anyone who thinks mashed potatoes are just a basic side dish better think again! We’re going to dress them to impress!
I’m having fun this month thinking of ways to make Thanksgiving and Christmas standards a little more exciting, without adding too much more fuss. I made an exquisitely crispy roasted cauliflower with cheddar and parmesan last week, and this week, it’s exquisitely crispy mashed potatoes!
For a perfectly intimate Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, pair these mashed potatoes with my stuffed Cornish game hens with garlic and sage, roasted Brussels sprouts salad and pumpkin flan with chai whipped cream for dessert!
How to Make These Mashed Potatos – Step by Step
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F. (175 C.), and fill a large pot with enough water to cover your potatoes. Place pot on a burner and turn to high heat. Remove cloves from a full head of garlic, peel the skins, then slice off the little ends.
2. Cut 6 potatoes into smaller pieces. They’ll boil faster that way.
3. Grate 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese if you want to make the baked top even more crispy. Set aside.
4. Place garlic cloves on tinfoil and drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Wrap the foil around the cloves loosely and place it on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes at 350 F. (175 C.).
5. Once the water is boiling, carefully place the cut potatoes in the pot. Allow boiling for 20-25 minutes until you can easily poke through a piece with a fork.
6. Remove garlic from the oven and set aside until the potatoes are done. Raise the oven temperature to 400 F. (205 C.) for when you’re ready to bake the mashed potatoes.
7. Pour the water out of the pot, keeping the potatoes in. Add roasted garlic, 4½ oz. herbed goat cheese, 4 oz. heavy cream, 2 oz. salted butter, and salt & pepper to taste. Mash and mix with a hand masher, just until it’s nice, fluffy and creamy – about 3 minutes. Be careful not to over-mash and mix or it will become an unappetizing, glue-like texture.
8. Grease an 8”x8” pyrex baking dish with butter, and pour your mashed potatoes in. Spread evenly, but leave some hills and valleys in the potatoes – it makes for a tastier baked top. Beat an egg and use a pastry brush to spread it onto the potatoes in a thin layer.
9. Sprinkle parmesan on top of the potatoes evenly.
10. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 F. (205 C.) on the top rack. Remove and serve.
Common Questions
Yes! And they’ll be just as delicious. But I would suggest waiting to brush with egg and sprinkle with parmesan until you’re ready to reheat and serve. That’s what makes these potatoes so crispy on top, and they’ll get a little soggy once refrigerated. So simply brush with egg, sprinkle with cheese, and reheat them at 350 F. (175 C.) for 20 minutes on the bottom rack.
If transferred to a sealed container, mashed potatoes will last nicely for 3-5 days in the fridge. It might not seem very long, but if your mashed potatoes have been heated and left out to reach room temperature before being placed back in a container, bacteria will already begin to grow. Once they’re refrigerated, the cold simply slows down this process but only for 3-5 days before they should really be either frozen or eaten.
If you want to freeze them, transfer them to air-tight freezer bags with as little air as possible. They will keep nicely for 10-12 months if properly sealed!
A Few Tips
1. Don’t over-mash.
Use a hand masher for these potatoes, and not an electric hand mixer, or you run the risk of “over-mashing.” If they’re too mixed and mashed, they’ll start to turn into a glue-like texture that isn’t very appetizing at all. You’ll know you’re in the danger zone if you start to notice any gummy-like texture to the potatoes.
It should only take a total of 3-4 minutes of mashing and mixing the other ingredients to get it just right.
2. You don’t have to peel the potatoes.
Red and Yukon Gold potatoes have tasty skins, so you don’t have to peel them at all. But if you decide to substitute Russet potatoes in this recipe, make sure to peel them first since their skins are more papery and not very flavorful, in my opinion.
Baked Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese
Equipment
- cutting board with sharp knife
- cheese grater
- baking sheet
- tinfoil
- pot – for boiling potatoes
- 8”x8” inch Pyrex baking dish
- pastry brush
Ingredients
3
large
red potatoes
3
large
Yukon Gold potatoes
1
head of garlic
– cloves removed
1
tbsp.
olive oil
4½
oz.
herbed goat cheese
– a traditional-sized package
4 oz.
oz.
heavy cream
2 oz.
oz.
salted butter
– and a little to grease your Pyrex baking dish
salt & pepper
– to taste1
egg
– beaten
- 2
tbsp.
Parmesan cheese
– optional
- chopped chives – optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F. (175 C.), and fill a large pot with enough water to cover your potatoes. Place pot on a burner and turn to high heat. Remove cloves from a full head of garlic, peel the skins, then slice off the little ends.
- Cut 6 potatoes into smaller pieces. They’ll boil faster that way.
- Grate 2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese if you want to make the baked top even more crispy. Set aside.
- Place garlic cloves on tinfoil and drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Wrap the foil around the cloves loosely and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes at 350 F. (175 C.).
- Once the water is boiling, carefully place the cut potatoes in the pot. Allow to boil for 20-25 minutes until you can easily poke through a piece with a fork.
- Remove garlic from the oven and set aside until the potatoes are done. Raise the oven temperature to 400 F. (205 C.) for when you’re ready to bake the mashed potatoes.
- Pour the water out of the pot, keeping the potatoes in. Add roasted garlic, 4½ oz. (133 ml.) herbed goat cheese, 4 oz. (118 ml.) heavy cream, 2 oz. (60 ml.) salted butter, and salt & pepper to taste. Mash and mix with a hand masher, just until it’s nice, fluffy and creamy – about 3 minutes. Be careful not to over-mash and mix or it will become an unappetizing, glue-like texture.
- Grease an 8”x8” pyrex baking dish with butter, and pour your mashed potatoes in. Spread evenly, but leave some hills and valleys in the potatoes – it makes for a tastier baked top.
- Beat an egg and use a pastry brush to spread it onto the potatoes in a thin layer. Sprinkle parmesan on top of the potatoes evenly. Bake at 400 F. (205 C.) for 20 minutes on the top rack. Remove and serve.
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