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Yum! Yum! I have made these twice, once with the skins on and one without and both times they were EXCELLENT. It makes a lot and we love to have the leftovers. Simple and delicious. Would recommend to everyone that doesn’t like all of the work of traditional mashed potatoes.
Joan
Can’t stop can’t stop can’t stop.
Garlic mashed potatoes. They have my heart.
And you guys, I pinkie promise something: these are the easiest ever. I mean, nothing deserves the Easiest Ever badge of honor like a recipe that can be made in a kitchen that is, um, not even a kitchen. The basement, remember?
And it’s a complete bonus for all the friends around the table when easiest ever also means extremely delicious, right? The buttery texture with the texture of the potatoes skins (I am on the leave-the-skins-on-the-potatoes side of the fence) and a hint of warming roasted garlic is making me one happy pre-Thanksgiving girl. I have had these for dinner for WAYYY too many nights in a row and we’re still weeks away from the big feast. And yes I do seriously mean that I have been calling simple, humble bowls of garlic mashed potatoes my “dinner.”
What do normal people eat again?
Okay friends, I need to let you know that right here and now – this is your one last chance to get a peek into the basement kitchen. Which is essentially just a basement with a power strip for plugging in kitchen appliances. Because after today, we are moving on up to the uppppstairs where we have a Kitchen with a capital K.
CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES.
How To Make Our Garlic Mashed Potatoes:
Ahhhm, is sticking an electric mixer directly into a slow cooker some kind of bad cooking voodoo basement black magic? I have lost touch with reality down here amongst the dirty cement bricks. Bring me to the light.
I don’t know though, those horror movie basement lights are pretty flattering.
Jay-Kay.
So yesterday I started something new! I packed up my computer, put on my real person clothes, and set out to work at a co-working space. Where a bunch of self-employed adults go to hang out I MEAN WORK so that they don’t lose their minds, working from home, alone, on the couch, in pajamas, forever, until they die. No? Just me?
It was really fun to be downtown for the day. I was buzzing with entrepreneurial energy, even though the most complicated thing I did all day was write a blog post while sipping some strong coffee. I spent a good portion of the afternoon walking around downtown Saint Paul because I am a hipster and I like to walk. —> Lies. I got lost looking for a good place to eat lunch. What else? Lunch is a big deal to me, you know? I can’t just choose any old place to eat when I’m within walking distance of all the great downtown Saint Paul restaurants. My quest was only partially rewarded when I finally found a delicious restaurant, uhm, errr, just right across from where I started.
Hi, I’m not from here.
It’s good to have a place to work away from home. True thing.
Also true: it’s good to come back home to a large pot of steaming garlic mashed potatoes luring me down to the basement with their savory smells right when I walk in the door.
These garlic mashed potatoes. I’m telling you – they are so super easy and they get delicious roasty-garlic flavor even though you don’t actually have to roast the garlic. I was thrilled to see that when I lifted the lid off the slow cooker after a few hours, my baby garlic cloves were sitting right there on top looking rich and golden brown. Not roasted exaaaactly, but close enough for this ovenless girl.
If I were not already the Salad Bringer, or if I were the Salad Bringer (which I am) aaaand I was also feeling super generous and maybe hungry on that particular day, I would definitely be bringing these mashed potatoes to Thanksgiving.
Easiest Garlic Mashed Potatoes, you are creamy, buttery, laced with the perfect amount of garlic flavor, salted generously, creamy with just enough texture, all with just a few minutes of prep and one-bowl clean up. Like a champ.
And if you don’t have a slow cooker and want to make this in the Instant Pot, I’ve got something for you right here!
Easiest Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: about 12 one-cup servings 1x
Description
These are the Easiest Garlic Mashed Potatoes ever – made entirely in the bowl of a slow cooker and they still have that deliciously warm garlic flavor!
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russet potatoes, chopped into 1 or 2 inch pieces
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 3–5 large cloves fresh garlic (depends on how much you can handle! I did 3 for this batch)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, milk, broth, and garlic in a slow cooker, with the garlic sitting on top. Cover and cook for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. When the potatoes are very tender, mash directly in the bowl of the slow cooker to incorporate everything to your desired consistency. You can also use an electric mixer, which I did, and it was super slick. Just be careful not to keep the mixer completely inside the bowl so you don’t get a mashed potato spray.
- Stir in the salt, butter, and sour cream. Taste and adjust seasoning, mix or mash any more if needed, and serve. Yummmms.
Notes
More salt is almost always a good thing with this recipe. Potatoes love salt! Also, as you can see, mine were very rustic-y with some lumps and bumps of potato and also of the potato skin, which I sort of liked. If you want ultra-smooth, you might want to a) cook the potatoes a bit longer, or b) do the full fancy thing where you use a potato ricer and everything. That’s not this recipe.
Make This In An Instant Pot: You can make a similar recipe in the Instant Pot using this recipe!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: garlic mashed potatoes, slow cooker mashed potatoes, crockpot mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes (and garlic) in the slow cooker is genius! (even when you have a real non basement kitchen 😉 )
I think mashed potatoes of *various flavours* – garlic, mustard, pumpkin, carrots… are the most frequently cooked dish at our place… and to explain the Bengali mashed potato that I have grown up eating to our German friends, can be translated into many blog posts and stories… one of them being this one… https://ishitaunblogged.com/2012/04/04/mashed-potato-bengali-style/
Awesome! Love that Ishita!
I am definitely going to do this for Thanksgiving, one less pot on the stove. Thanks!
Genius! That’s all there is to say really! Mashed potatoes in a slow cook….genius 🙂
Making these this weekend! Love your new kitchen – so fresh, clean and bright! So excited to see it with sparkly new appliances.
I never thought of making mashed potatoes in the crock pot. That’s a great idea especially if you aren’t bringing them, but instead cooking the entire Thanksgiving meal. It’s good to have something on autopilot while you’re trying manage getting the rest of the meal out at the same time! The video looks great! It sounds like you’ve put your new sound equipment (if I remember correctly from the last income post?) to great use. Can’t wait to see the new kitchen!
Yes! We are! We bought a few new clip-on microphones that work really well for video.
Hi Lindsay,
Do you recommend slow-cookers? It looks like you love yours. OK, silly question, but can you leave it plugged in all day if you’re not home? I guess that’s the concept; that people can go to work and have it done by the time that they get home? I’ve always been hesitant to leave things plugged in like that when I leave the house… Thoughts?
Yes – I do leave mine on when we’re gone! In fact, the other night I was making something and left it plugged in when we went out for a few hours, and then I was literally laying in bed at midnight when I bolted awake and remembered the crockpot still on down in the basement. EEEK! But yes, the idea is to leave it on all day. Ideal if you’re home, but I feel okay leaving it on when I’m not home, too.
Thanks Lindsay! I will have to invest in one. Also, if you have a favorite juicer (if you have one) and a favorite blender, please tell! Thanks!
Blender = Blendtec! We love ours!
I see you left the skins on the potatoes for yours….did you cut them up first as well? Or just put the whole potatoes in there?
Thanks !
Hi Christina! I cut them up first.
You made MASHED POTATOES look good. You win the food photography award 😉
Seriously, a place where self-employed people can go work exists? So cool. I wish I lived near a city! And I totes understand your lunch dilemma. Every time I go to a big city it’s the hardest decision to pick where to eat. ps… Lindsay with makeup and hair done! Looking good 🙂
Haha – thanks Leigha! I’ve been a little too okay with the no-makeup videos so I think it’s time to start stepping up my game.
Oh my goodness!!! Your kitchen is coming along so fast! Seriously can’t wait to see the finished product. Also, these potatoes look awesome. Love that you put the mixer right in the crock pot 🙂
You can’t beat recipes like this where it requires almost no thinking whatsoever. Throw it in the slow-cooker and come back to it when it’s done. I can’t wait to see the kitchen reveal and I can only imagine how excited you are to be out of the basement!
YEAH, really excited to be out of the basement. Understatement of the year. 😀
LOVE this recipe, LOVE your video, and LOVE the kitchen progress! So fun! I see you’re doing the video through youtube…I need to figure out how to do that/youtube ads etc. Ay yi yi my brain might explode!
Awesome post as always 🙂
These do look most extremely delish, but I think part of that has to be the great-looking gravy on top. Recipe, please?
Still testing! 🙂
I love the idea!! And am I the only one who likes texture in their potatoes. I love the bits of skin and even a few little lumps. The thin gruely style potatoes remind me of glue. No I don’t normally eat glue but I’m sure it would be the same consistency. Great job!!
I am the same – I like the rustic feel of a little more texture.
I’m so glad my friend sent me your blog. I’ve had fun reading and cooking over the last few months. Maybe thats why my pants are a little tight, hmmm.
Love the portions you have in the potatoes. I have added a few Yellow potatoes with the russets to add some butter texture and colour. (Yes I am Canadian and that is not a typo). I also do my early morning boiling with skins on for the big cook days. Then the ricer takes care of peeling and I get the nutrition into the potatoes. The slow cooker from Costco works well for me – melting the butter etc. and the broth helps the potatoes keep moist all day. I too would love the gravy recipe.
Great idea with the yellow potatoes! The gravy recipe is still in the test kitchen. 🙂 workin on it!
Has the gravy come out of the test kitchen yet? I keep hoping to see the recipe. 🙂
Yum! It is the perfect recipe for the season. Even in the basement they look amazing.
First of all, you are too cute in that video! Second, I love the idea of making mashed potatoes in the crockpot for Thanksgiving to free up some oven space!
Haha – cute seems a little generous but thanks Mercedes! 🙂
Wonderful idea! I need to branch out a little with what I cook in my slow cooker. I usually end up with some kind of version of a stew, which to be honest I find quite boring … now creamy mashed potatoes with garlic could never be boring!
Awesome idea! Saves so much time and space on the big T day! Also – I love your swirled mashed potatoes picture! With the wooden spoon? And the herbs? And the chunks of skin? Perfection.
Thanks Caitlin! Basement photos aren’t my favorite but I’m doing the best I can down there… 🙂
Mmmm, I bet your basement smells amazing! I’m definitely a 5 + cloves of garlic kinda girl 😉
Nooothing better thana good mashed ‘taters recipe!
Amazing! It NEVER occurred to me that mashed potatoes could be made in the slow cooker. And I love that it frees up the oven so I can make more pie! Thank you for this! 🙂
Gurrrlllll your makeup is looking fresh! Also, loving this recipe. I’m definitely going to bring my crock pot home for Thanksgiving this year and impress everyone with these taters!
What is up with the gorgeousness of that top photo! It looks like a Heaven filter was used! Love the slow cooker idea, love your makeup, love all around.
Thanks Christina! 🙂 Heaven filter = check.
Oh my gosh this is brilliant. Hosting Thanksgiving is overwhelming to me and I love to cook. I don’t have enough hands and helpful relatives try to come in the kitchen and offer assistance and that just confuses me more. It will be nice to put something in the slow cooker – no brainer. Thank you!
Yes – seriously! The oven and stove gets a little crazy on Thanksgiving.