This is a family favorite. If you’ve eaten these at Carrabba&rsuo;s or elsewhere, you know why.
This makes enough for 14-20 people depending on your serving size.
| 1-2 heads | ||
| ½ cup | olive oil | |
| 5 lb | Russet potatoes | |
| 2 lb | red potatoes | |
| — | salt | |
| — | pepper | |
| Optional dairy | ||
|---|---|---|
| — | grated jack cheese | |
| — | half and half | |
| — | cream | |
| — | sour cream | |
| — | butter | |
| — | egg |
1. Roast the garlic by your favorite means. I depaper all of it, put it into a ramekin or other small, oven-safe dish and put it into the oven with whatever else happens to be cooking (or 350° for 30 minutes). This can be done a long time before; or at the last minute.
2. Set a large pot for cooking pasta on the stove. Salt heavily. Clean red potatoes of all ugly eyes and scabs, but leave the rest of the skins. Dice and drop in heating water. Peel and dice Russets and put into water that has heated meanwhile: the Russets will cook less time than the red potatoes.
3. Test potatoes with a paring knife: if soft enough to mash, turn the stove off and remove them from the hot water. If you stop a little early, you can just leave them on the stove, but avoid dissolving the Russets into the water.
4. The quantity given here will require the following processing in two batches. Place ½ the potatoes (drained, but still damp), salt and pepper, into your KitchenAid mixer bowl along with cheese, sour cream, cream, butter, egg, etc. as you desire plus ½ the garlic and olive oil mixture. Beat using the whip, but leave lumps (usually of red). Serve immediately.
Cold potatoes can be rewarmed by themselves before mixing and/or rewarmed with piping hot dairy ingredients. Making these ahead of time and storing them, however, will show some drying or crusting over of the potatoes before they reach the table. This doesn’t make them nasty, but just not fresh.