Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If your family is anything like mine, your Thanksgiving table would not be complete without mashed potatoes. Well, then you don’t want to miss these Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes! They may be lighter in calories with non-fat plain yogurt, but they are far from light on flavor with layer upon layer of yummy garlic!

I originally shared this recipe on November 9, 2010. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

As with most families, mine has its Thanksgiving traditions.  After the marathon of cooking is done, the table is set and the candles are lit, we join hands for a moment of silence.  And then the feasting finally begins.  But in our family my dad stops us just as soon as we’ve hit our stride to ask us one question “What was your first bite?”  We always roll our eyes and then go around the table confessing what we’ve eaten first.

As annoying as this tradition is, it actually is quite interesting.  Believe it or not, rare is the diner who has tasted the turkey first.  I know I’m not one of them either.  In fact, most people, myself included, go for the mashed potatoes (and gravy) for their first glorious bite.  I mean, after skipping lunch and nibbling on nothing more than crudites and cocktail onions, you want to go for the good stuff, right?

So this year, I am making the mashed potatoes even more irresistible and memorable.  But you know me, I can’t bring myself to do that by weighing them down with a boatload of butter.  The trick is to add flavor instead. 

Roasting a few heads of garlic ahead of time (even a day ahead is fine) makes for a creamy and rich flavor enhancer without a ton of extra calories. 

I also toss a couple of crushed garlic cloves in with the boiling potatoes to layer the garlic flavor.

Then I also use tangy plain yogurt instead of cream.  With all of the flavor in the mash you’ll only need a touch of butter.

More Thanksgiving side dish Recipes

These Mashed Root Vegetables are creamy and dreamy! This Carrot and parsnip mash is another one to try!

Simple Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes is classic and lower in calories than traditional mashed potatoes.

The coconut and spice in these 5-Spice Mashed Sweet Potatoes (vegan + paleo) is amazing!

One of my more popular veggie sides is this Easy Garlic Herb Butternut Squash. Speaking of popular, definitely try these stove top Simple Skillet Green Beans too!

If you eat mac and cheese on turkey day, this Macaroni and Cheese with Butternut Squash is a great one to serve. It is extra special!

And you can find tons of vegetable sides, pies and stuffing here when you cruise all the Thanksgiving archives.

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