Garlic Potato Mash
- Yield
- 4 servings
Boiled floury potatoes are mashed with warm milk, garlic and butter.
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Ingredients
Batches and reset
4 servings · US measures · 1 batch
Batching
Cook one batch of potatoes in the 4-quart pot. For 8 servings, cook a second batch. Simmering time does not change with the amount.
Original recipe: 4 servings.
Salt and pepper added to taste are left out of the base nutrition scenario.
Before you start
- Read through the recipe before you start. Gather the pot, small saucepan, colander, masher or ricer, wooden spoon and the measured ingredients.
Directions
Read and gather
For the whole recipe
Read through the recipe and gather the equipment. Use the ingredient lines to prepare and measure everything, cutting the potatoes into chunks of the same size. Everything is measured and the potatoes are cut.
Put the potatoes in cold water and simmer them
For each pot
Put about 2 1/4 lb russet potatoes in the 4-quart pot and cover them with cold water by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to medium-low heat and simmer until a knife slides through a chunk easily, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour off the water and steam the potatoes dry
For each pot
Pour the potatoes into the colander, then return them to the warm pot off the heat and let them steam until their surfaces look dry and chalky, about 5 minutes.
Warm the milk, garlic and butter
For each pot
Warm about 1/2 cup whole milk, the garlic and 3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter in the small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts and the milk steams.
Mash the potatoes
For each pot
Mash the potatoes with the masher, or press them through the ricer, until no lumps remain.
Beat in the warm milk mixture
For each pot
Beat the warm milk mixture into the hot potatoes with the wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed and the mash is smooth and creamy.
Taste and season
For each pot
Taste the mash. Aim for creamy and buttery, with a gentle warmth of garlic. If it tastes flat, add fine salt to taste, then black pepper to taste. The mash tastes buttery and well seasoned.
Serve
For the whole recipe
Serve the mash hot to make 4 servings. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, and reheat them with a splash of milk, stirring, until the center reads 165°F (74°C) on an instant-read thermometer. The mash is ready to serve.
About this recipe
Why it works
Floury potatoes started in cold water cook evenly, and letting them steam dry keeps the mash fluffy rather than watery. Warming the garlic in the milk and butter softens its bite, and beating warm dairy into hot potatoes keeps the mash smooth.
Associated with
British and American
Mashed potatoes are a staple side in Britain and America, with a printed English recipe from the 1740s; garlic is a common addition.
Taste
- Sweet
- Sour
- Salty
- Bitter
- Savory
- Heat
Butter and milk make it rich and creamy., Garlic warmed in the milk gives a mellow, gentle warmth. · smooth, creamy, fluffy mash · hot
Skill level
Easy
No thresholds beyond tender potatoes; the cues are a knife sliding through and a smooth, creamy mash.
Allergens
Contains: milk.
Diets
Vegetarian: Fits as listedPescatarian: Fits as listedVegan: Doesn't fit as writtenDairy: See the allergen linesEgg: See the allergen linesGluten: See the allergen lines
Occasions
Christmas dinner
Mashed potatoes are a standard side for a roast dinner, including at Christmas.
Sunday roast
Mashed potatoes are served with Sunday roasts and gravy.
Serving and keeping
Best served: Hot, right after seasoning As a side for roast chicken or other roast meats, with gravy
Make ahead: Reheat with a splash of milk, stirring.
Storage: Refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C). The 3 to 4 days follows the general cooked-leftovers rule; no federal entry for mashed potatoes was found.
Leftovers: It stiffens in the refrigerator; loosen it with warm milk.
Food safety
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C) and reheat to 165 °F (74 °C).
We make no statement about cross-contact in your kitchen or in packaged ingredients.
Nutrition notes
Most of the energy comes from the potatoes; the butter supplies most of the saturated fat.
Swap notes
unsalted butter · vegan
Use: olive oil or plant butter, with unsweetened oat or soy milk in place of the milk
What changes: Less dairy richness; olive oil adds fruitiness.; Slightly less creamy.
Not a swap: Ghee, which is a milk product.
unsalted butter
Use: half the butter, with olive oil for the rest
What changes: Less buttery and slightly less silky.
Not a swap: More cream in place of the butter, which is also high in saturated fat.
garlic
Use: garlic-infused oil
What changes: Use lactose-free milk too; fructans do not carry into the oil.
Not a swap: Garlic powder, which carries the same fructans.
garlic · buddhist.five_pungent
What changes: Leave out the garlic for a plain buttery mash.
Not a swap: Garlic powder or chives, which are also pungent plants.
whole milk · kosher.mainstream
Use: unsweetened plant milk, with olive oil in place of the butter
What changes: Use this version alongside a meat main such as roast chicken.
Not a swap: Milk or butter with a meat meal.
russet potatoes · jain.standard
Not a swap: Potatoes and garlic grow underground and are the dish; no substitute keeps it.
These notes don't change the amounts, allergens or nutrition shown for this recipe.
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- Recipe url
- https://isthebestrecipe.com/sides/garlic-potato-mash
- Name
- Garlic Potato Mash
- Servings
- 4
- Recipe yield
- 4 servings
- Recipe ingredient
- about 2 1/4 lb russet potatoes or other floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks, about 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 clove garlic crushed or finely grated, 3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces, to taste fine salt, to taste black pepper freshly ground
- Copy action wording
- Copy recipe and estimated nutrition
Sources
- Mashed potato (Wikipedia (English), 2026-09-19)
- Maris Piper (Wikipedia (English), 2026-02-12)
- Garlic mashed potatoes recipe (BBC Good Food (Immediate Media), 2024-09-06)
- Food Allergies (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026-03-11)
- Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, Including the Food Allergen Labeling Requirements of the FD&C Act (Edition 5): Guidance for Industry (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Human Foods Program, 2025-01-06)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: Substances or products causing allergies or intolerances (The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), UK-retained copy, 2011-10-25)
- Safe Food Handling (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024-03-05)
- Are You Storing Food Safely? (U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Consumer Update), 2023-01-18)
- Food Storage Guide Answers the Question... (FN579) (NDSU Extension, 2025-12-31)
- FoodData Central 170027: Potatoes, russet, flesh and skin, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central 171265: Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central 169230: Garlic, raw (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- FoodData Central 173430: Butter, without salt (USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, 2019-04-01)
- Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024-09-09)
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Nutrition Values
Nutrition estimates aren’t available for this recipe yet.
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