Brown Butter & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Chef Ryan always uses Ontario-developed Yukon Gold potatoes or russets for his creamy potatoes. He stresses that salt must be added to the cooking water to bring out flavour, not just sprinkled on the cooked spuds. The brown butter and roasted garlic both give a lift and a rich yet subtle nutty taste to the dish.

1 head garlic

1 tsp (5 mL) olive oil

1 cup (250 mL) unsalted butter, cubed 5 lbs (2.27 kg) potatoes, peeled

1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream Chopped chives or pickled garlic scapes

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2 Slice top off the garlic head, exposing the top portion of all the cloves. Place head in a small baking dish that will snuggly hold it. Drizzle cut garlic cloves with oil. Pour water into the dish, but not over the garlic, to a 1/2-inch (1-cm) depth. Cover with foil. Bake until fragrant and soft when skewered with the tip of a paring knife, about 1 hour. Remove garlic to a dish to cool, then squeeze the bottom to release the cloves. Finely chop 5 garlic cloves (refrigerate remaining cloves for adding to spreads and dips).

3 While garlic is roasting, place butter in a medium-size skillet (not a dark-bottom pan) over medium heat. Stir occasionally. After about 5 minutes, large bubbles will form on the surface. When the bubbles become smaller and foamier, stir constantly, scraping the sides and pan bottom. To check colour of the milk solids that sink to the bottom, frequently push bubbles aside. When they become a rich brown colour and give off a nutty aroma, after about 5 minutes, pour into a metal bowl and set in the freezer to quickly cool down.

4 Quarter potatoes and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, partially covered, until tender, 22 to 25 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes to the pot and place over low heat. Stir constantly, scraping the pot bottom to dry potatoes out, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 5 Working in batches, press potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Add chopped garlic. Pour browned butter through a sieve (see TIP) into a skillet. Add cream and heat, then pour into the potatoes while stirring them constantly. Taste and stir in more garlic or salt if you like. Serve garnished with chives or pickled garlic scapes.

Makes 10 cups (2.5 L)

TIP Chef Ryan does not pour the brown butter through a sieve before adding to the skillet. He considers the dark brown milk solids to be flavour-filled. Sieving does result in more attractive looking potatoes.