Double Take: Loaded Garlic Smashed Potatoes

This recipe has been on the back burner for quite some time. Tabitha wanted to make it back in the day, but that was before red potatoes were in season and I was unwilling to make changes to the recipe. Well, I’ve loosened up a bit and red potatoes came into season, and we decided it was time to make this recipe. And boy, am I glad I did.

I have always been a huge mashed potato fan. I can now make them in a way that hubby will eat them, but he never goes back for seconds. Me on the other hand, I generally go back for thirds, which probably isn’t the healthiest thing in the world for me. I even tried preparing Momma’s Holiday Mashed Potato Casserole for Hubby, but he still didn’t go back for seconds. I didn’t see how this recipe would be any different, but decided to make it anyway since we both love garlic and bacon. I failed to mention to Hubby that this recipe contained sour cream, and just served it up as potatoes. He went back for seconds. Twice.

Loaded Garlic Smashed Potatoes

from the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook (also available slightly tweaked here)


Ingredients

2 medium garlic bulbs

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 bacon slices

1 bunch green onions, chopped

4 pounds red potatoes

1 pint sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Cut off pointed ends of garlic bulbs; place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with oil; fold foil to seal. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes; cool; squeeze pulp from garlic; set aside.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels; reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and return to skillet; add green onions; cook 1 min ute or until onions are tender; set aside.

Peel potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Cook potatoes in a Dutch oven in boiling salt water to cover 20 to 25 minutes or until tender; drain and place in a large bowl.

Add roasted garlic pulp, bacon mixture, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, and next 4 ingredients. Mash with a potato masher (or two forks) until blended.

Spoon potato mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 baking dish; top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. (I broiled mine for about 15 minutes, until the cheese was melty and brown.)

8 to 10 servings.

THOUGHTS:

 I halved the recipe and didn’t measure the potatoes when I did it, so I think I ended up with a bit more liquid that I should have. Also, I didn’t have milk on hand, so I subbed with a splash of buttermilk. And you better believe I didn’t waste my time peeling those potatoes (go organic if you don’t want to peel so you avoid all those nasty chemicals). The store didn’t have red potatoes when I was looking, so I picked out fingerlings instead (though they looked an awful lot like Austrian crescents). These potatoes were perfect for this dish! And ya know what, it tasted like the most perfect baked potato ever. Bring on the potatoes!

Serve with ribs and steamed green beans. (Can you tell we like our potatoes lumpy?)

VERDICT:

Potatoes-this-yummy-need-to-be-made-again-and-again: 2 votes!


For Tabitha's take on Loaded Garlic Smashed Potatoes, head on over to Double the Garlic!