Looking to bring your mashed potatoes up a level? These Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes are creamy and fluffy with the perfect amount of salt and garlic to elevate each bite.
With just 6 ingredients, this delicious potato recipe serves hearty, velvety, buttery goodness with flecks of tangy feta for a welcomed change in texture and zing of sharp taste.
Potatoes are a great addition to complete any meal!
As an environmental scientist, I am always trying to allow sustainable ingredients to shine. Potatoes, especially when sourced organically, are considered a sustainable crop.
They have a relatively low environmental footprint as they only require a small area to thrive and have a long shelf life, which means you’re less likely to waste them!
And the best part? Potatoes can usually be sourced locally year-round.
Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Garlic. 3 cloves peeled and kept whole to roast.
- Olive oil. To roast the garlic in.
- Potatoes. Russet or Yukon gold—both are great for mashing! I stick with Russett because that’s how my mom makes them, and they taste like home to me.
- Butter. Unsalted butter is best just so you can control the amount of salt you’re adding to your mashed potatoes, especially since we are adding feta to these as well.
- Milk. Any milk will do. Cows or non-dairy, just make sure its unsweetened and unflavored.
- Feta. You can buy a block and crumble it yourself or buy it pre-crumbled. Both work well and are super easy to use.
- Salt to taste (optional). For me, the feta brings enough salt to the table to where I don’t feel the need to add extra, but taste test as your go, and add salt if needed.
Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes Tips and Tricks
Preheat and Prep
The first step is to turn on your oven and preheat it to 425°F. You’ll need the oven at high heat to roast your garlic.
Green tip: Get to know your oven! Get an idea of how long it takes your oven to preheat. By not pre-heating the oven too early, you can save energy.
Next, get 10 cups of water boiling on the stove in a large pot.
While you’re waiting for your oven to preheat and water to boil, prep your potatoes! Peel them and chop them into smaller chunks, about 1-inch in diameter.
This will help to speed up the cooking time. While the potato chunks certainly do not have to be perfectly uniform, keeping them a similar size will ensure they have an equal cooking time.
Once your water is boiled, you can carefully add your potato chunks (be careful of hot water splatter!). Keep your heat source on high and continue to boil the potatoes until they are fork-tender (about 20 minutes).
Roast Your Garlic
The easiest way to roast your garlic cloves for these mashed potatoes is to peel them and place them in the center of a piece of aluminum foil, about 4-inches by 4-inches in size.
Then, drizzle your olive oil on top of the garlic, and use your hands to fold the sides of the aluminum foil over top of the garlic, so you are left with a sealed aluminum foil ball with the garlic inside.
Place your aluminum foil ball on a baking sheet and roast it in the oven at 425°F for 30 minutes.
When you remove the garlic from the oven, give the aluminum foil some time to cool before handling it. When you open it up, your garlic should be golden brown and soft enough to mash with a fork.
Getting the Perfect Consistency
My favorite tool to use for creamy mashed potatoes is a hand mixer. It whips them into that light and fluffy texture we are looking for. But before we get to whipping them, we have to mash them to make sure we aren’t left with any lumps.
For the smoothest possible mashed potatoes, use a potato masher first. Boil your potatoes until they are fork-tender, strain them, and transfer them to a large mixing bowl with the roasted garlic.
Use the potato masher to break down the garlic and the potatoes. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can use a large fork.
Only Add as Much Milk as You Need
Once your potatoes and garlic are mashed, add the butter and use your hand mixer to combine. Then, add about 1/4 cup of milk and whip again.
Assess the consistency. If the mashed potatoes seem too dry, add more milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in between, until you get a light and fluffy texture. You shouldn’t need more than 1/2 cup of milk total.
Adding the Feta
Feta is a deliciously salty, crumbly cheese used often in Greek cuisine. Emphasis on the salty. So, while I generally preach salting potatoes, you’ve got to resist the urge here.
The recipe actually calls for no salt at all, but of course, add some to taste if necessary. Add your feta last.
It’s not known best for melting, and you won’t get that ooey-gooey cheesiness you will from say, a mozzarella. Its main function in this recipe is the salty, zesty, textural element.
That being said, I like to conserve about a tablespoon of feta to sprinkle on top. The rest gets stirred right into your mash, so you get a little bit of feta in each bite.
How to Store and Reheat Mashed Potatoes
In an airtight container, these Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Or, you can freeze them for up to a year!
To reheat them, preheat your oven to 350°F and add the mashed potatoes into an oven-safe dish. Cover the dish with tin foil and cook for about 20 minutes until heated thoroughly.
If your mashed potatoes are frozen, allow them to thaw overnight first before following the reheating guidelines as stated above.
And if you really want to uplevel your leftover mashed potatoes, check out these Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes (Great for Leftovers!).
Why You Should Make These Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes
- The texture. Creamy, fluffy, airy potatoes with flecks of tangy crumbly feta and crushed roasted garlic.
- They’re unique. Not your average potato!
- They’re simple. Just 6 ingredients are required.
If you’re loving these Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes and want more simple and delicious sides, check out this Caprese Asparagus and these Sweet and Salty Brussels Sprouts. And for the ultimate mashed potato experience, try these taters smothered in this Hearty Mushroom Gravy!
Roasted Garlic and Feta Mashed Potatoes
Print Save RateEquipment
- Potato Masher (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold. 1 pound usually = 2 large Russet potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup milk (cows or unsweetened nondairy)
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Fold a piece of aluminum foil until it is square shaped and about 4-inches long on each side. Add your garlic cloves to the center of the foil and pour olive oil on top. Fold the aluminum foil over the garlic and use two hands to squeeze together to form a ball around the garlic.
- Place the aluminum foil wrapped garlic on a baking sheet and roast on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes. until its golden brown.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop potatoes into small chunks, about 1 inch in diameter. Carefully add them to your pot and boil until fork-tender (about 25 minutes).
- Add the roasted garlic and fork-tender boiled potato chunks to a large mixing bowl and use a potato masher or large fork to mash.
- Add the softened butter and 1/4 cup milk and use a hand mixer on high to whisk. Assess the consistency and if it's too dry, add more milk about 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing in between, until potatoes are light and fluffy.
- Conserve about 1 tablespoon of feta to sprinkle on top, and fold in the rest. Taste test and add salt as needed. Serve hot.
Pro Tips
- To avoid lumps, take the extra time to peel potatoes completely and remove any bruises.
- Ignore the urge to add salt until after adding the feta and tasting it. The feta doesn’t completely melt, so it doesn’t make the potatoes gummy, it mostly just acts as the salt in this recipe.
- If you have leftover mashed potatoes and want to breathe new life into them, check out this Twice Baked Mashed Potato Casserole from Leftover Mashed Potatoes.
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