Mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream and sour cream

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Super creamy garlic sour cream mashed potatoes are the ultimate holiday side dish. Easy to make and so delicious your guests will beg for the recipe!

Mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream and sour cream

You know that holiday side dishes are my J*A*M you guys. Skip the turkey, go straight to the flaky biscuits, cranberry fluff salad, sweet potato cass, bacon green beans (with bacon! Always with bacon) and double up on that helping of mashed potatoes. It’s the holidays, if you’re not in a semi-permanent food coma until January one, you’re doing it wrong.

A couple of years back I had one of my finest strokes of genius and cracked the code for easy, perfect no-boil no-mash NO-PEEL mashed potatoes in the slow cooker. So many good things about that situation but today we are talking about a combination of two key ingredients that will make your mashed potatoes perfectly flavored and ultramegacreamy (<- – -one word.)

SOUR CREAM and GARLIC

Please, please….. save your applause til the end.

Mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream and sour cream

Garlic is pretty standard in my mashed potato recipes. I mean, if we are being honest it’s pretty standard in about 80 percent of my savory recipes simply because I have a bit of an obsession and am convinced it makes almost any dishes ten times better tasting than if you’d left it out. In mashed potatoes though, it’s an absolute must. It kicks everything up to a new level and a gives the potatoes a bolder flavor, while bring the sour cream into the mix gives you richer, smoother, and creamier potatoes. All things I crave in my mashed tots.

I know I said two things – garlic and sour cream – are what really make this recipe but I just have to get on my little soap box for a second and remind you that salt is everything. The key is to salt your potatoes to taste. What does “to taste” mean? Exactly what it sounds like. Taste, add salt, taste again, and carry on until you’ve reached the perfect flavor for your tastebuds.

Mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream and sour cream

And while we are on the subject of salty things, I actually had the chance to fly out to Nashville this week for Morton Salt’s Next Door Chef event. It taught us how salt has the incredible ability to enhance flavors and transform everyday dishes. I sat there nodding, thinking yep, yep, you’re preaching to the choir over here.

I always say “add salt to taste” in my recipes for a reason – it’s the salt that brings all of the other flavors to life. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, I’m actually sharing alllll the deets on that fun event in a bit when it airs on Food Network (um yes, yours truly may or may not end up starring on FN for two or three seconds. woah.) so in the meantime I’ll just give you this teeny tiny sneak peek into what my experience in Music City involved…

Mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream and sour cream

It was *magical*. As are these garlic sour cream mashed potatoes!! If you’re considering upping your mashed potato game for Thanksgiving, this is the answer. I can’t wait to hear what you and your guests think about this recipe!

Mashed potatoes with heavy whipping cream and sour cream

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

  • 2 pounds potatoes - cut into 2 inch pieces, (you can peel them but I never do - I love potato skins in my mashed potatoes!)
  • ½ cup sour cream - (light is okay, regular will yield richer flavor)
  • ¼ cup half and half - or heavy cream
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic - or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 3-4 tablespoons butter
  • salt and pepper to taste - (I use about 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper)

  • Place potatoes in a large pot and cover potatoes with water. Bring to a boil on the stove, cover and boil until potatoes are very tender and easily pierced with a fork. Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl (see note).

  • Add sour cream, milk ( half and half or heavy cream), garlic, butter, and salt and pepper to bowl. Mash til desired texture is achieved. Serve hot.

Alternately you can use my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes method to cook the potatoes - just follow the recipe through cooking the potatoes, then continue with step two of this recipe.

Calories: 164 kcal, Carbohydrates: 26 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Sodium: 55 mg, Potassium: 746 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 178 IU, Vitamin C: 14 mg, Calcium: 59 mg, Iron: 1 mg

*This post was sponsored by Morton Salt. All opinions expressed are my own.

Can you substitute heavy whipping cream for milk in mashed potatoes?

Heavy whipping cream (or half and half) is a good substitute for milk in potatoes. This is actually a great option! The thicker consistency will produce a dreamy, creamy consistency that everyone will love. The flavor is bolder and richer, too, and you may enjoy it more than the original.

Is milk or heavy whipping cream better for mashed potatoes?

Heavy cream will make for the creamiest mashed potatoes, but whole milk or half and half will also work. Don't use anything with less fat than whole milk, otherwise, your potatoes won't be as flavorful or creamy.

Can I substitute sour cream for milk in mashed potatoes?

Yes, you can substitute sour cream for all milk. But you won't get that "tang" associated with sour cream. Also, the milk quantity is really just a starting point. You can add more milk for thinner potatoes or less milk for thicker mashed potatoes.

What is the trick to making good mashed potatoes?

7 Tips for the Best Mashed Potatoes of Your Life.
Use Yukon Gold Potatoes. They are the best potatoes for mashing. ... .
Boil Your Potatoes in Large Pieces. ... .
Keep Your Potatoes Hot. ... .
Add Fat First. ... .
Taste Constantly. ... .
Don't Add Your Liquid All at Once. ... .
Infuse Your Fat with Aromatics..