Most of the time when we make mashed potatoes at home, we use butter. That’s delicious, but swapping the butter for olive oil makes the potatoes fluffy and light. Bonus: they are also vegan. Start by roasting a whole head of garlic — it’s easy to do and you can even make it in advance. Roasted garlic can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. To roast garlic, cut a head of garlic in half then drizzle with some olive oil. Wrap the garlic in foil then bake until the garlic is completely soft, about 40 minutes. When the garlic is roasted, mash it into cooked potatoes with some olive oil. By the way, if you find the potatoes are a bit dry, add a little of the cooking liquid from when you cooked the potatoes. That should thin them out a bit and lighten them up. Recipe updated, originally posted December 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 pounds yellow fleshed potatoes like Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic, letting the oil fall down into the cloves. Wrap with aluminum foil then bake until the garlic is completely soft when pierced with a small knife, 40 to 50 minutes. For even more caramelization, roast longer, checking every 10 minutes. 2Squeeze the roasted garlic into the pot with drained potatoes. Mash. Stir in 1/4 cup of olive oil and then thin out the potatoes with some of the reserved cooking liquid. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary then serve.
