Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes are the perfect easy side dish for your holiday feast! These creamy buttery redskin mashed potatoes are gorgeously rustic with fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese, and pair well with any main course.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, every holiday needs these amazing redskin Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes! They are super simple to make, and are easily adjusted up or down to feed any size crowd.
No need to peel the potatoes, those little red streaks are rustic but elegant, and can be prepped in just 5 minutes!
For the perfect holiday menu, add my Roasted Sweet Potato Slices in Garlic Honey Butter, Kale Apple Slaw Salad, Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts, or Maple Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Pecans!
We love Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Mashed Butternut Squash too!
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Ingredients
With just a few simple real ingredients, these rosemary mashed potatoes are easy enough for a weeknight but fresh herbs, garlic and Parmesan cheese make them worthy of the holidays!
- Red Potatoes - I love the look of red potatoes with the skins left on. Plus it's less prep work! I used 8 potatoes, about half of a 5 pound bag, and scrubbed them well with my hands under running water. I am, however, a believer that you can make mashed potatoes out of any kind of potato, so use what you have. You can also peel them if you'd like!
- Butter - The essential flavor! The butter here is flavor itself, but also serves to lightly saute the garlic. Just for a minute or two, it removes that raw garlic overpowering taste.
- Garlic - These are redskin Garlic mashed potatoes, so by all means, use fresh garlic! If you don't have it, I would not try to sub garlic powder, just simply make Parmesan Rosemary Mashed Potatoes without it. They will still be delicious!
- Fresh Rosemary - Same goes for the fresh rosemary, if you don't have fresh, just leave it out or substitute another fresh herb like thyme, sage or chives. I would not use dried herbs.
- Half & Half - I feel like half and half is just the right level of rich indulgence. The potatoes are already rich with delicious butter, so heavy cream is a bit much. You can use cream or milk, you will just get a slightly more or less rich outcome.
- Salt and Pepper - Extremely important! Potatoes without the right amount of salt are totally bland. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the drained potatoes. The amount of salt can be a personal preference. I would start with ½ teaspoon and taste and add a bit more until it seems just right to you. I used somewhere between ½ and 1 teaspoon.
- Parmesan Cheese - Not totally necessary, but a little bit of shredded Parmesan takes these potatoes over the top! Silky, creamy and just plain heavenly! Use good quality Parmesan, not the green shaker from the 80's, and shred your own if you can!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1 - Wash your potatoes well, scrubbing them with your hands under running water. Chop them into large pieces, about 8 per potato, discarding any bad or black spots. Add them to a pot covered with cold water as you chop. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until soft, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Step 2 - When the potatoes are close to done, melt your butter in a small saucepan. Add the minced garlic and rosemary and cook a couple minutes until just fragrant. Add the half & half and warm over low heat until the potatoes are ready.
Step 3 - Drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink, drain them well, and return to the hot pot. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper.
Step 4 - Add your butter mixture and the Parmesan cheese, reserving a little for the top. Mash well with a potato masher. I like the rustic imperfection from the hand held masher, but you can use an electric mixer if you want them perfectly smooth.
Step 5 - Transfer into a serving dish and garnish with a few extra pats of butter, fresh rosemary sprigs and shredded Parmesan cheese.
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
Storage - Store extra Parmesan cheese garlic mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven, adding a bit more half & half or milk if they become dry. Mashed potatoes can also be frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat.
Make Ahead Instructions - While these garlic rosemary red potatoes are probably best fresh, you can definitely make them a day in advance and reheat. Just warm them in a casserole dish covered with foil in the oven at 325° until heated through. You may want to add a bit of extra half & half or milk and re-mash them so they aren't at all dry. You can also make them at home, cover with foil and transport to the host's house. Keep them in their warm oven until ready to serve.
To get a head-start on the holiday, you can also wash and chop the potatoes and leave them in the pot of water in the fridge a day in advance. Then just drain, fill with fresh water and boil when ready. Just a simple make-ahead step when you have a lot of party planning to do!
Making More or Less - For a simple weeknight, you can cut this recipe in half. You can also double it if you have a large soup pot to boil the potatoes. If you'd just like to stretch it a little, simple add an extra potato or two. The other ingredients can mostly be left the same, just taste at the end and add more salt if needed and more half & half or milk if the potatoes are too dry.
What to Serve with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
A big dish of Garlic Parmesan Mashed Red Potatoes is a crowd pleaser at any occasion! This comfort food is best in the winter and perfect for holiday gatherings with lots of menu pairings.
- Main Course - Goes well with turkey, ham, chicken, or beef! Try it with my Rich Molasses Braised Beef Roast or Simple Roasted Salmon.
- A Vegetable Side - A platter of Roasted Carrots and Brussel Sprouts or Broccoli Au Gratin and a fancy but easy Blueberry Goat Cheese Salad would make the perfect side dish spread! Add a Green Bean Au Gratin, Sweet Potato Casserole or Mashed Butternut Squash!
- A Holiday Appetizer - Start the big meal with this Raisin Pine Nut Goat Cheese Dip or a stunning Cranberry Honey Baked Brie!
Recipe FAQs
You could, but I wouldn't. Giving the garlic and rosemary a 1 to 2 minute saute takes the edge off that sharp garlic taste. It mellows it out and makes it blend in nicer. Plus by warming your ingredients, you'll keep your potatoes nice and hot and ready to serve.
No and no! It just isn't as good, the fresh garlic and rosemary are really the backbone of this dish. If you don't have them, not to worry, just follow the recipe making regular mashed potatoes without them, those are good too!
Yes, heavy cream will be a little richer, milk a little less rich. Both are fine, and you can also do a combination, that's what half & half is!
These rosemary mashed potatoes are vegetarian but not vegan because of the butter, dairy and cheese. They are gluten-free.
No! These redskin garlic mashed potatoes get those lovely red streaks from not peeling the potatoes. Potato skins are edible and healthy so why bother peeling them!? The rustic earthy look is beautiful and the prep is way easier. Do make sure to cut away any bad spots and wash them well under running water.
Not for this recipe. We've gone really simple here, with just a quick saute in butter to soften the sharp garlic flavor. Now if you wanted roasted garlic mashed potatoes, you could wrap the garlic in foil with olive oil and salt and roast it in the oven. Then just squeeze the smushed garlic into the potatoes. Both ways are delicious and will give quite different garlicky flavors.
More Holiday Side Dishes
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
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Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 to 3 pounds red potatoes about 8 potatoes
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 cup half & half
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
Instructions
- Wash your potatoes well, scrubbing them under running water with your hands. You can peel them if you like, but I like the rustic red colored streaks. Chop them in large chunks, about 8 pieces per potato, and add to a pot with enough cold water to cover them. Boil over high heat until soft, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- When the potatoes are almost done, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium low heat. Add the minced garlic and rosemary and cook a couple minutes until fragrant. Add the half & half to warm with the butter.
- Drain the potatoes very well in a colander and return them to the hot pot. Season them evenly with the salt and pepper. Pour over the butter mixture, and Parmesan cheese, and mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more pats of butter, Parmesan cheese, and fresh rosemary sprigs. Serve hot!
Notes
- You can choose to peel or not peel the potatoes. You can also mash by hand or with an electric mixer. Do not put potatoes in a blender or food processor! I like them unpeeled and hand mashed for a rustic look. Any kind of potatoes will work for this recipe.
- Start with ½ teaspoon of salt and then taste and add more depending on your preference. I used somewhere between ½ and 1 teaspoon.
- Use fresh garlic and rosemary. If you don't have fresh, omit it rather than substitute dry.
Natalie Barman says
Absolutely delicious. Grandson's love to make mashed potatoes and this gave them something new to try.
Meryl Downing says
So happy you liked it Natalie!