Roasted garlic mashed pototoes

Italian Vegetable

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. Red Potatoes un-peeled ( small are better )
  • 1 cup of olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Kosher salt
  • 1-2 cups heavy or whipping cream
  • 1 full bunch of scallions as purchased, ( slice in 1/4" pieces )
  • 6- 10 full bulbs of garlic.
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste at serving

Directions

THE PREP WORK:

Put the potatoes in a pot large enough to cover with water and boil until tender but still firm. If, you are using larger potatoes, cut in half or quarter. While they are cooking roast the garlic. There are two methods: 1). Cut the tops off the garlic bulbs, dredge in oil, place in a small baking dish / pan, cut side up, and bake at about 350-400. When the garlic starts squeezing out of the top of the skins, they are done. Check it while baking, you want the garlic golden brown not burnt. If the tops of the garlic start getting black or start burning, lower the heat. If the top of the garlic burns or gets over cooked, it will be hard to mash into the potatoes and will give a burnt taste SO WATCH IT! 2). Another simple way is to use whole peeled garlic cloves. Put some oil in the pan / baking dish, add the garlic and dredge well. Put some foil over the top and bake the same way. When it's golden brown and softened, it's done and strain but DO NOT discard oil. This second way is great because the oil can be used as a dip or to cook with.

By now the potatoes should be done so strain and place in a large bowl or the same pan they where cooked in. Allow to cool down a little but don't let them get cold. Add the roasted garlic and mash into the potatoes but do not mash too much. The key to this is to keep some chunks of potato and chunks of garlic so don't make it mush. Refrigerate for 24 hours if you have time.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Most home bodied cooks do not have very large sauté pans so you may have to a several portions at a time. This will not be a problem; just keep adding the completed potatoes into a large serving bowl and keep it warm.

Heat your sauté pan to Med. / high and add some potatoes. When the potatoes start to get hot add some cream and a small handful of salt. The cream should be enough to put a thin coat over the top of the potatoes and don't be afraid to use the salt; this dish needs a fair amount. Fold the cream in until absorbed into the potatoes, add a handful of scallions and fold in. Your best bet is to use good rubber spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan while folding because it will BURN. When the scallions are folded in add to serving dish and start another batch.


When I was quite young, somewhere between 2 & 5, My Grandmother (who lived 103 years) would tie a clove around our necks with a string. She said it was to keep us from catching cold and to keep the evil spirits and vampires away. I didn't realize until I was older that it kept my friends away as well. Now this was a woman from the old country where they locked their windows at night so the werewolf's couldn't come in and steal the babies from the village. However, I must admit, the garlic thing did have some merit. In the early 1990s I was a co-owner of an Italian restaurant in North Providence, RI. And with the talent of my partner our chef, Mr. Brian, we did put several items on the map in the area including Red Bliss Roasted Garlic Massed Potatoes. It seems that almost every restaurant you go to today offer garlic mashed potatoes and they all taste the same. This is the original; it's a little work, but the best.

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Submitted 9/28/05.
Source: SOUTH SIDE SOCIAL CLUB COOKBOOK
Submitted By: VINCENZO PAOLINO
vin.paolino@verizon.net
Roasted garlic mashed pototoes