The Genius Roasted Garlic Hack For Bold Flavor In Your Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. The soft pillowy taters pair well with almost all entrees you can think of, from beefy stews and chicken to vegetables and seafood. But in order to take your mashed spuds to the next level, you'll need a flavor boost that'll transform them from regular to extraordinary. Enter roasted garlic.

This isn't entirely new. You've probably heard of garlic mashed potatoes, where recipes call for either minced, diced, or even powdered garlic. But those versions of garlic are incomparable to the uniquely mellow flavor profile of the golden brown caramelized bulbs that are so soft you can literally squeeze them with your bare hands. Even the process of preparing this genius roasted garlic hack is slightly different from what you may be used to.

First, wash, dry, and cut your Yukon Golds or Russets in half lengthwise but don't let the knife go all the way through. Wash and peel a few garlic cloves and stick them in the slit on each potato. Bake in a preheated oven until fork tender and cooked through. From here, you can continue to mash the potatoes as usual.

Instead of preparing your potatoes separately by boiling them in water while the garlic roasts in the oven, this genius garlic hack helps save both time and energy by roasting the two ingredients together in the oven. Moreover, with the garlic nestled inside the taters as they roast, it infuses the spud with aromatic goodness so much better than if they were cooked separately.

Finally, once the potatoes and garlic and cooked, you have two delicious options for the dish you'll serve. You can make garlic mashed potatoes as we've already mentioned, by scooping the potato flesh and mashing it in a bowl together with the roasted garlic. Add butter, milk, or cream and continue mixing until you get to your desired consistency. The infusion of the mellow garlic flavors as a result of the roasted garlic sitting right inside the spuds takes this dish to a whole new level.

The other option is to serve as garlic baked potatoes. Simply open the taters once cooked, fluff the insides with a fork, mash in the roasted garlic, and add your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, cheese, and chives. The burst of roasted garlic with every bite you take will be oh-so-yummy.