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Our 2021 Thanksgiving Menu and Guide – the make ahead menu.
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Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, the best holiday mashed potatoes side dish. Made simply with sweet roasted garlic, fresh herbs, and salted butter. Each bite is perfectly smooth, creamy, and so delicious. The secret? Cooking the potatoes together with the milk and cream, then adding in roasted garlic cloves for a delicious garlic flavor that isn’t overpowering. This method makes for the creamiest and most flavorful mashed potatoes. They’re perfect to make-ahead of time for easy entertaining, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
The secret to these potatoes?
Two things… first, the roasted garlic. Roasting the garlic adds just the right amount of garlic flavor that’s delicious but not over powering.
Second, cook the potatoes together with the milk and herbs. This means no boiling the potatoes, no extra steps, nothing fancy. It turns out that creating almost perfect mashed potatoes is actually really easy.
The steps – roast the garlic
Start with the garlic since it takes time to roast in the oven. If you’ve never done it before it really adds a layer of deliciousness to your recipes.
Simply slice the top portion of the garlic head off to reveal the cloves. Then place the garlic on a small piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap the garlic up. Roast for about forty minutes, until the garlic is deeply golden and soft.
Then simply squeeze the cloves out of the garlic skin.
Meanwhile, make the potatoes
Combine the Yukon gold potatoes with the milk and cream in a large pot on the stove. Add the herbs, then cook until the potatoes are tender. This will take about twenty-five minutes or so. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them, BUT, be sure to save the cream – you’ll need it!
Now, the potato ricer…it’s key to making ultra-smooth mashed potatoes. Do you have to have a potato ricer? No, a good ole masher works too. But if you want the smoothest mashed potatoes, a ricer works really well.
Take the mashed potatoes and those roasted garlic cloves and put them right back into the pot. Then add back the cream and also add some butter. Cook until the butter is melted…and that’s it…the most perfectly flavored creamy mashed potatoes!
Honest these are the BEST – classic, but with amazing flavor and texture. You will definitely want these along with your turkey and gravy!
The added bonus is just how easy these are to make…and that you can make them ahead of time. Steps for warming in the oven, slow cooker, or on the stove are listed in the directions!
Looking for recipes to enjoy with mashed potatoes? Here are my favorites:
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Creamy Balsamic Mushroom Chicken Marsala
30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs
Lastly, if you make these Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how-to video:
Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 585 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 pounds yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6-8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. Slice off the top portion of the garlic head to expose some of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap it up, and bake for 40-55 minutes, until deeply golden and very soft.3. Let the garlic cool, then squeeze out the cloves. 4. Meanwhile, In a large dutch oven, combine the potatoes, heavy cream, milk, sage, and thyme. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.5. Drain the potatoes, reserving all of the cream. Discard the thyme and sage. Press the potatoes and roasted garlic cloves through a potato ricer. Then add them back to the warm pot. Alternately, you can add the potatoes back to the pot and mash with a potato masher.6. Over low heat, add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved cream and the butter. Continue to add more of the cream until your desired consistency is reached. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. 7. If desired, brown a little butter with sage or thyme and swirl into the potatoes before serving. Serve warm and creamy.
To Make Ahead
- In the Oven: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Spoon the potatoes into a large baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat in the oven, preheat the oven to 325° F. Pour 1/2 cup milk or cream over the potatoes and add 2 tablespoons butter, do not stir. Cover the potatoes tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are warmed through. Stir before serving.Slow Cooker: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Spoon the potatoes into the slower cooker, cover, and keep on low for up to 4 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, turn the heat to low or high, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons butter, do not stir. Cover and let the cream warm and the butter melt. Stir before serving.On the Stove: Prepare the mashed potatoes as directed through step 6. Add 1/2 cup cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Place the potatoes over low heat, gently stirring until warmed throughout.
The best garlic mashed potatoes ever!
Hey Karen,
Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for sharing your notes! Have a great fall weekend! xT
I am Pam’s grandmother and I have the recipe now. I hope mine are as good as hers were. 🌹
This is THE mashed potato recipe. I made these two days before our Christmas meal and followed the oven reheat instructions. Couldn’t have been more convenient or delicious. My grandmother said they were the best mashed potatoes she had ever eaten—high praise, especially for something so simple!
Wow thank you SO much Pam! Love to hear that! 🙂 xT
I made this recipe for Christmas dinner and everyone loved it! I’m a 21 year old and it was my first time bringing a dish and everyone genuinely loved it! I put the garlic in the air fryer instead of the oven at the same temperature for about 35-40 min and it cooked well.
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing New Year! 🙂 xT
Cant wait to make these…if I’m serving short ribs on top of the potatoes, am I better off making them right before serving?
Kathy
Hi Kathy! Yes, I would definitely make them right before 🙂 xT
This is the best and only way I will ever make mashed potatoes again! I served them at Thanksgiving and my brother loved them so much he said I nailed it! High compliment coming from him. Thank you Tieghan!
Hey Brooke! I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
I’ve made before and they are always amazing! I don’t usually make ahead, but this holiday I’d like some time freed up. How many days ahead can these be made?
I would like to try the Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes. Can someone tell me how to drain the milk but keep the cream?
I think the word cream in that step of recipe includes the milk. We put a strainer over a bowl and drained. These potatoes were a huge success and worth every step
These turned out so delicious that my MIL asked to take a bowl home! Also so delightful to have in the fridge ready to go with so many other Thanksgiving items to prep day of. Thanks for a tasty and useful recipe!
Hi Cady,
I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your review! Happy Sunday! xT
These are absolutely hands down the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten!
Used the crockpot to keep them hot all day which was a game changer and space saver!
Thank you!!!
My family didn’t want to use gravy on them bc they said they were so perfect as is and didn’t want to change them! haha
Hey Erin,
Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
This is no joke! Straight up the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had!!!
Hey Scott,
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
I have prepared my mashed potatoes. Can I now roast the garlic and fold in tomorrow with a bit more milk and butter or is it too late for the roasted garlic?
ALSO, how long does it take to reheat the next day in the slow cooker. I am serving at 4:00, thinking putting them on low at noon.. thoughts??
Lisa, I’m sorry! Folding in the garlic the next day worked perfectly for me. Can’t speak to reheating, but knowing how finicky mashed p’s are when reheating, it will take longer than you expect. Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for fellow HalfBaked-ers like yourself.
The video showed using an Instapot to cook the potatoes. How long do you cook them for?
Can you substitute rosemary for the sage and would 2 heads of roasted garlic be too much? We like a lot of garlic.
Hi Lisa,
Sure, that would work for you! Noon sounds great! Happy Thanksgiving! xT