Rosemary-Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup whole herb rosemary fused olive oil, more to taste
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
Black or white pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Add extra virgin olive oil to a small skillet. Place the garlic cloves in the skillet. Heat the olive oil over medium for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully, until it just begins to sizzle around the edges of the cloves. Don't let them sizzle too long or you will start to fry them.
Reduce heat to low/medium low. Stir well to coat the cloves in the hot oil. Let the garlic cook slowly for 20-30 minutes, stirring and flipping the cloves every few minutes, until the cloves are soft, tender and golden. While garlic is roasting, proceed to next step.
Fill a large saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes by 2-3 inches. Boil the water.
Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the cooking water after it starts boiling. Add the potato chunks to the boiling water. Let the potatoes cook for roughly 20 minutes until tender. When garlic is done roasting, remove the roasted cloves with a slotted spoon and let the oil cool.
When potatoes are done cooking, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the potatoes in a colander. Return potatoes to the hot pot. Add fresh rosemary, if using Use an electric hand mixer or a potato masher to begin mashing the potatoes. Be sure to beat on the lowest speed throughout the process. When the potatoes have turned crumbly, add all of the olive oil and a bit of the cooking water (adding 2-4 tablespoons at a time) and continue mashing until the texture you desire is achieved. Add additional salt and pepper to taste as desired.
Serve hot.
Tip: An electric hand mixer will result in a creamier mashed potato, but be careful not to over mix. If you mix too long or on too high a speed, your potatoes will become gummy. Hand masher or stand mixer with stir feature tends to work better for very large batches.