Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Although my husband and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to food, we have always disagreed on one thing: mashed potatoes. I love homemade mashed potatoes while my husband, well... to put it nicely, he hates them. He far prefers the pour-and-mix-with-water variety of potatoes in a pouch. So needless to say I was a little skeptical about making homemade mashed potatoes for our Christmas Eve dinner with his family. But, to my amazement, he actually loved them! And that, my friends, is a big accomplishment. These potatoes were so easy and were absolutely delicious. Everyone at the table raved about them and had second and third helpings until the bowl was scraped clean. The potatoes absorbed the garlic flavor while they were boiling which provided a wonderful herb-flavor that otherwise wouldn't have been there. And the best part is they are extremely versatile! Just throw in the ingredients you have and voila: perfect mashed potatoes. (Picture courtesty of LaaLoosh)

Ingredients:

• 6-7 large russett potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters*
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (powdered version works great too!)
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1-2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover potatoes and bring to a boil. Add in potatoes and garlic and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Drain potatoes and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Mash with potato masher (or fork) until there are only small chunks left. Add in sour cream, parmesan cheese, milk, salt and pepper and mix with a hand mixer on low speed until smooth and combined. Add in more milk as needed to smooth out potatoes.

*If you prefer chunky potatoes, leave unpeeled and mix all ingredients with potato masher and spoon rather than hand mixer.