These smoked garlic mashed potatoes are just as good as you can get in any steakhouse. We're using fresh roasted garlic and adding smoked gouda to make them extra smoky, and extra cheesy. YUM.
Smoky, creamy, cheesy garlic mashed potatoes
Once you try this smoky, garlic mashed, you'll never go back to plain mashed potatoes again. It's a lot easier than you might think—the ingredients are simple, and it's actually pretty quick.
It's also a versatile dish. You can make these as a weeknight dinner to pair with a steak, or bring it over to a guest's house on Thanksgiving or Christmas.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
All your smoked garlic mashed potatoes ingredients
- Yukon gold potatoes (3 lbs). Washed & peeled
- Garlic (1 head). We're roasting fresh garlic
- Olive oil (2 tbsp). To drizzle over the garlic head
- Smoked gouda cheese (1 cup). Hand-shredded
- Butter (1 stick). Unsalted or salted, doesn't really matter
- Heavy cream (1/2 cup). Warmed up a little
- Fresh chives. Chopped, for garnish
HOW TO MAKE
SMOKED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
@grillfrenzy Comment "potatoes" or "recipe" for the full recipe with all my KEY tips sent straight to your DMs! 🥔 These smoky garlic mashed potatoes are STEAKHOUSE level good - and they're way easier than you'd think! The secret? Fresh roasted garlic and smoked gouda for that extra smoky, cheesy goodness. Ready in under an hour! Find the full recipe with all my key tips on the blog - link in profile! Or comment to get the recipe DMed straight to you! #smokedrecipes #mashedpotatoes #sidedish #smokerrecipes #comfortfood #steakhouse ♬ original sound - Mike Futia
1. Preheat the Smoker
Preheat your smoker to 400F to roast the garlic
Preheat your smoker to 400F. I used cherry pellets for this smoke, but use whatever you have.
2. Smoke the Garlic
Add olive oil to the garlic head before smoking it
Prepare the garlic by slicing off the head to expose the cloves. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil, and then wrap in aluminum foil.
Smoke the garlic head wrapped in aluminum foil until it's soft and caramelized
Add the garlic to your smoker and smoke for 45 minutes to an hour, or when the cloves are nice and soft and caramelized.
3. Boil the Potatoes
The potatoes after being peeled, washed, & diced
Take your potatoes and rinse them well, and then peel them. Then, cut into two-inch pieces.
Add the potatoes to a large pot, and cover with cold water. Add a generous dash of salt.
Steamy potatoes after being drained
Bring the water to a rapid boil, and then reduce it to a gentle simmer. Simmer the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, until fork-tender.
When done, drain the potatoes well.
4. Rice the Potatoes
The potatoes after running them through a potato ricer
Take your drained potatoes and while they're still hot and put them through a potato ricer into a large bowl. The potato ricer will give you a silky smooth texture.
5. Mix the Potatoes
Adding the garlic, butter, and cheese to the potatoes
Add your roasted garlic and softened butter to the potatoes. Then, gently fold in the warmed cream and shredded Gouda. Keep folding the ingredients into each other until they're well combined and creamy.
Seasoning the potatoes
Then it's time to season—add salt and pepper until it's to your liking.
6. Return to the Smoker
Adding the potatoes back to the smoker
Transfer the potatoes to a cast iron pan or an aluminum baking pan. Then put them back on the smoker at 225F and smoke for 30 more minutes to get even more smoky flavor.
7. Garnish & Serve
Fresh chives really elevate the mashed potatoes
Top the mashed potatoes with fresh chives, and enjoy!
SERVING IDEAS
Mashed potatoes go well with lots of things, but my favorite way to pair them is with steak like grilled filet mignon, smoked ribeye, New York Strip, and smoked tomahawk steak.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- Peel your potatoes. Yeah, you could leave the skin on if you wanted a more "rustic" feel, but peeling your potatoes gives you a smoother and more consistent mash.
- You don't *need* a ricer. I love using a potato ricer because it gets the spuds extra smoothy. But if you don't have one, you can always use a stand mixer or just mash them really well by hand.
- Smoke your garlic at 400F. Some other recipes call for smoking the garlic at 225F. Don't do that. It will take *forever* for the garlic to caramelize and get soft.
- Use fresh-grated cheese. Grate your cheese by hand. When you buy pre-shredded cheese, they come loaded with anti-caking agents that muck up the texture.
- Mix & fold thoroughly. When you're folding (mixing) your potatoes, make sure to do a really good job. The last thing you want is to get a big bite of garlic on your fork because you didn't mix everything together.
- Use warm cream. Pop your cream into the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute before adding to the potatoes. You don't want to add cold cream because it will make the potatoes ... *cold*.
Smoked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes peeled
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup smoked gouda cheese freshly shredded
- 1 stick butter salted or unsalted
- 1/2 cup heavy cream warm
- fresh chives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 400°F.
- Cut off top of garlic head to expose cloves, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in foil.
- Smoke garlic for 45-60 minutes until soft and caramelized.
- Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into 2-inch pieces.
- Place potatoes in pot, cover with cold water, add salt.
- Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cook 15-20 minutes until fork-tender.
- Drain potatoes thoroughly.
- Pass hot potatoes through a potato ricer into a into large bowl.
- Add roasted garlic and softened butter.
- Fold in warmed cream and shredded gouda until well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to cast iron pan or aluminum pan.
- Smoke at 225°F for 30 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh chives and serve.
Notes
- Peel potatoes for smoother, more consistent texture
- Use a potato ricer for silkiest texture, but hand mashing works too
- Smoke garlic at 400°F, not lower temperatures, for faster caramelization
- Always grate cheese fresh; pre-shredded contains anti-caking agents
- Warm cream before adding to keep potatoes hot
- Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute garlic and cheese
- Cherry wood pellets recommended but any type works
