Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes

The only thing better than confit potatoes, is Rustic Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes! Creamy and rich, they're a fabulous side dish for almost any meal, including Thanksgiving.

Do you ever have a bite of a delicious food, and without intentionally doing so, you close your eyes and moan a bit?

Well, I think it's going to happen when you try these Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes.

The rich and creamy potatoes with a generous amount of slow roasted garlic, is absolutely impossible to resist.

What does Confit Mean?

Confit typically refers to cooking a meat in its own fat, like Duck Confit. However, the term has extended itself to vegetables cooked in a fat as well — just not their own, obviously.

Hence these lovely potatoes cooking in olive oil.

After getting such a positive response to my Rosemary Potatoes Confit, I tweaked them a bit by adding garlic, and then mashing them to create this deliciousness.

Ingredient Notes

• Idaho Dutch Yellow potatoes or fingerlings - Small, thin-skinned potatoes like these turn creamy and tender in the oil, and there's no need to peel them.
• extra virgin olive oil - You'll need just enough to barely cover the potatoes and garlic, about 2 cups for this recipe. And it doesn't go to waste! The leftover garlic oil is delicious for cooking.
• garlic - We use about 1 small head of garlic in this recipe. Each clove gets peeled and sliced in half lengthwise to remove the little root in the center, which can taste bitter.

How to Make Them

- Place the potatoes and garlic in a baking dish with enough height to cover them with oil.

- Pour in the oil to cover everything, but barely.

- Bake uncovered in a 225°F oven for 2 hours. Then turn the heat up to 400°F and cook for another 10 minutes, until the oil is sizzling a bit.

- Let them cool in the oil. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes and every bit of the garlic to a mixing bowl, leaving the oil behind.

- Mash and season.

(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Can you make them ahead?

You can make these up to two days beforehand. Once they've cooled to room temperature, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. A couple hours before serving, bring them to room temperature and heat them in the oven at about 350°F, covered with foil.

What to Do with the Leftover Garlic Oil

Don't toss that golden oil! It's full of mellow, roasted garlic flavor. A few of my favorite ways to use it:

• Sauté vegetables or greens.
• Roast potatoes or other vegetables.
• Drizzle it over pasta or rice.
• Use it as a salad dressing with a splash of your favorite vinegar.
• Use it to cook quesadillas and scrambled eggs.
• Brush it on bread or crostini before toasting.

Important: Store the oil in an airtight container in the refrigerator, never at room temperature, and use it within 4 days. It will firm up in the fridge, so just let it sit out for a few minutes, or spoon out what you need.

Recipe Tips

• You can add fresh herbs to the potatoes if you'd like. Rosemary or oregano would be lovely. Place a couple of sprigs beneath the potatoes before you add the oil.
• For a smoother mashed potato, once the potatoes and garlic are removed from the oil, you can blend them in a food processor, fitted with the blade attachment.

More Potato Sides for Thanksgiving or Any Day

Rustic Garlic Confit Mashed Potatoes are crazy delicious! Like melt-in-your-mouth and oozing-with-flavor delicious! They're an experience.

Enjoy every single bite!