I’ve never understood what is so special about mashed potatoes. I’d rather it a whole spud any day of the week. However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving this week, I came up with this recipe for mashed potatoes which can be “doctored up” in a couple of ways to add either more flavor from roasted garlic and/or more low-fat protein and fiber and from chickpeas.
Ingredients
• 1 head garlic
• 1-2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb baking potatoes, peeled, cut into one inch chunks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
•1 2/3 cup (1 15oz can) cooked chickpeas, mashed or pureed in a food processor
• ½ cup organic milk or unsweetened almond or rice milk
• 4 T organic butter or 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch of ground nutmeg or mace
• Fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Cut top 1/3 of garlic head off exposing tops of each clove. Place garlic upside down on a square of foil. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil and wrap foil tightly around the head. Wrap another square of foil around the first for insulation. Roast garlic head for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Bring a large pot of water and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a boil. Add potatoes, bring back to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 12-15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Place pot over high heat for 30 seconds to dry potatoes. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add the butter.
- In a saucepan warm the milk for 1-2 minutes. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into the milk. Add the rest of the salt and stir until salt and garlic are incorporated into the milk. Pour milk mixture over the potatoes and begin mashing.
- Add the chickpeas and spices and continue mashing until smooth. Add more milk or butter if necessary to achieve a desired consistency.
Variations
- Replace chickpeas with another pound of potatoes.
- Replace the chickpeas with another kind of legume. White canelli beans work great too.
- Leave out the garlic. Flavor instead, by adding 1 T fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme or 1 cup fresh minced parsley or watercress.
- For even more protein and less fat add 1 cup organic cottage cheese during the final mash, and reduce butter and milk by one half in previous steps.
