What is it about potatoes, one bite and your hooked... that is if you start with the right potato. Yukon Golds are our choice, with a deep yellow flesh, they taste richer, more buttery and almost as if they have been simmered in chicken stock. Here, with skins on and a few sinful ingredients this bowl of mashed tastes as beautiful as it looks. And may just tempt you from the dinner table to a leftover midnight snack.
Ingredients
4½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, skins on
¾ cup 35% cream, warmed
½ cup salted butter, softened
2 cups arugula, finely chopped
½ cup roasted garlic
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F.
To roast garlic, cut top off garlic bulbs and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Wrap in foil and roast for 35–45 minutes, until soft and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Squeeze out softened garlic and set aside.
Place potatoes in large pot of cold, generously salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25–35 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well and return potatoes to pot over low heat for 1–2 minutes to evaporate excess moisture.
Mash potatoes with butter and roasted garlic until combined. Gradually add warm cream, mashing until creamy. Fold in chopped arugula and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serves 8 to 10.
Mari’s Notes: Yukon Gold potatoes are naturally buttery, so there's no need for excessive cream or butter. For an even lighter version, reduce butter to ⅓ cup and cream to ½ cup. Add warm cream gradually until you reach your desired consistency.
For a rustic mash, leave the skins on and avoid overworking the potatoes, which can make them gluey. The generous amount of roasted garlic adds a mellow sweetness, while folding in the arugula at the end preserves its peppery flavour and beautiful green colour.
