Creamy Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Last Updated on October 25, 2022 by Betty Davies
With hints of rosemary and garlic, these creamy mashed potatoes are hard to resist! Simple to make, this homemade mash is wonderfully rich and indulgent, and won’t be out of place on your holiday table. Made with just a few simple ingredients, this is an easy way to liven up your everyday potato side dish.
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Mashed potatoes are awesome, and when they are this rich and creamy, they are irresistible! Made with fresh rosemary and garlic, cream and butter, they are wonderfully indulgent and full of flavor.
This is a super simple recipe, but this restaurant quality potato side dish is like the one you will find at your favorite steak house. The potatoes are mashed with a garlic and rosemary infused cream to add the perfect hint of flavor and melt in your mouth texture.
Perfect to serve up at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or just when you want to make a meal extra special!
Be sure to try my Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls and Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Easy: This really takes no extra time than if you were making your usual mashed potato recipe. Just a few additional ingredients and you are good to go!
- Make ahead: Mash is a great make ahead side, so it’s perfect for those big feasts!
- Indulgent: This is a rich, creamy and buttery recipe – just the way I like it! You can easily make it a little healthier if you prefer, scroll down for some suggestions!
- Dietary info: These rosemary garlic mashed potatoes are gluten-free and vegetarian.
Ingredients
- Potatoes: For the fluffiest mash, use starchy potatoes like Russets or Yukon Gold.
- Oil: Just a little to saute the garlic and rosemary.
- Garlic: Mince the garlic finely for the strongest flavor. I used two large garlic cloves, but feel free to add more if you love the flavor!
- Rosemary: I prefer to use fresh rosemary for this recipe. Chop the leaves as finely as you can so that you don’t have large sprigs that are tough to eat.
- Cream: For the creamiest mash, use 35% fat cream.
- Butter: Butter adds the most wonderful flavor and helps to create a silky texture. Salted butter is best, but if you only have unsalted, simply add in some additional salt.
- Salt and pepper: Added to taste.
How to make rosemary garlic mashed potatoes
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Saute the minced garlic and rosemary (photo 1).
- Add the cream and butter and let the flavors infuse (photo 2).
- Pour the cream over the boiled potatoes (photo 3).
- Mash til smooth and fluffy (photo 4).
Recipe Variations
These rosemary garlic mashed potatoes are so delicious, but it’s easy to make them to suit your tastes:
- Make it healthier: Cream and butter make this side dish super rich and indulgent, but it’s easy to lighten it up for those everyday meals. Swap the cream for 2% milk (or half and half) and half the amount of butter to cut down on the calories. You could also add in a tablespoon or two of fat free Greek yogurt to thicken up the potatoes and add a little protein.
- Use different herbs: Rosemary and garlic are a match made in heaven, but you could use other fresh herbs like sage, thyme or dill for a different flavor.
- Use waxy potatoes: Light and fluffy mash is made with starchy potatoes. Try this recipe with reds or fingerlings for a denser, firmer and creamier texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
I definitely prefer to use fresh rosemary for this recipe, but if you can only get dried, then you can absolutely use that. Don’t soften it with the garlic or it will burn, instead, add it to the pot when you add in the cream to let the flavor infuse.
If your mash is stodgy rather than soft and fluffy, there’s a good chance that you have mashed them too much which has created excess starch. To avoid this, mash the potatoes by hand, either with a potato ricer, potato masher or a fork, do not use a blender or food processor, and stop mashing once they are smooth.
The butter and cream in this recipe make this mash wonderfully rich, but you can make it vegan by using almond milk and olive oil instead. Once the garlic and rosemary is sauteed, pour in the almond milk to infuse with flavor. When you mash, add in some olive oil to give it that silky texture. Check out my vegan mashed potato recipe for measurements!
Serving Suggestions
These rosemary garlic mashed potatoes are perfect to serve as part of a roasted dinner, and are ideal for Christmas and Thanksgiving, serve them alongside seasonal veggies like Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Roasted Carrots and Brussels Sprouts, and don’t forget the lashings of Mushroom Gravy!
Serve it alongside mains like:
Make ahead, storage and reheating
Mashed potatoes are a great make ahead side dish, so are ideal for those holiday meals. Once made, let the mash cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months. Frozen potatoes should be fully thawed before reheating.
The best way to reheat mash is in a pot on a stovetop. Heat them on a low medium heat, stirring occasionally so that they don’t stick. Add a little milk or cream to the pot during the reheating to loosen them back up, as they will absorb moisture as they sit. You can reheat them in a microwave if you prefer. Reheat in 1 minute increments, stirring in between, til heated through.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Chop (mince) the garlic and rosemary as finely as you can. The smaller the garlic is chopped, the more flavorful it will be. Fresh rosemary leaves can be a little tough to eat, so chop them fine so that you don’t get chewy bits.
- You just want to soften the garlic and rosemary before adding the cream, don’t brown or burn them.
- Don’t cut the potatoes too small as they will absorb to much liquid which can lead to watery mash.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water to cook them, then bring them up to boiling. If you place the potatoes straight into boiling water, they won’t cook through evenly.
- Salt the water that you are boiling the potatoes in. As they cook, the potatoes will absorb the flavor.
- Don’t overcook the potatoes. They are ready to be drained when they are fork tender, but not falling apart.
- Mash the potatoes while they are still hot, it’s best not to boil them until you are ready to make the whole recipe.
- If making ahead of time, let the potatoes cool fully before storing them.
This recipe is an easy way to liven up your regular mashed potatoes. The flavors of rosemary and garlic work so well with your favorite mains and the cream and butter make them extra special!
More Mashed Potato Recipes
If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating and a comment below!
Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream (35%) (235ml)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds potatoes – Russets or Yukon Gold (900g)
Instructions
- Mince (chop) the garlic and rosemary leaves as finely as you can.
- Add the oil to a pot or large skillet and put on a medium heat. Once warm, add the chopped garlic and rosemary.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, til the garlic and rosemary softens, but not browned.
- Add the cream and butter to the garlic and rosemary, along with a few pinches of black pepper and about ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Bring the cream mixture to a boil, then take off of the heat and let the flavors infuse.
- While the cream sits, peel the potatoes and chop into chunks. Place in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook (for about 15-20 minutes)til fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and place back in the pot. Pour the infused cream over the potatoes and mash together.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Notes
- Chop (mince) the garlic and rosemary as finely as you can. The smaller the garlic is chopped, the more flavorful it will be. Fresh rosemary leaves can be a little tough to eat, so chop them fine so that you don’t get chewy bits.
- You just want to soften the garlic and rosemary before adding the cream, don’t brown or burn them.
- Don’t cut the potatoes too small as they will absorb to much liquid which can lead to watery mash.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold water to cook them, then bring them up to boiling. If you place the potatoes straight into boiling water, they won’t cook through evenly.
- Salt the water that you are boiling the potatoes in. As they cook, the potatoes will absorb the flavor.
- Don’t overcook the potatoes. They are ready to be drained when they are fork tender, but not falling apart.
- Mash the potatoes while they are still hot, it’s best not to boil them until you are ready to make the whole recipe.
- If making ahead of time, let the potatoes cool fully before storing them.
