A classic side dish that feeds a crowd and can be made entirely ahead of time. Great for holiday entertaining. JUMP TO RECIPE
Let’s face it, cooking and serving Thanksgiving dinner is an ordeal. Even if your guests pitch in by bringing food and helping with the cleanup, it’s still a ton of work. The only way to keep your sanity through it all is to stay organized and do as much as you can ahead of time, including some of the cooking. A lot of people think mashed potatoes, a classic Thanksgiving side dish, must be served immediately after you make them, but this recipe for Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes dispels that myth. This dish can be made entirely in advance, allowing you more time to spend with your guests, which is after all, what Thanksgiving is all about!
If you like your mashed potatoes extra smooth, I recommend using a potato ricer, which is a gadget that acts like an oversized garlic press to force cooked potatoes through a bunch of tiny holes. This gives them a super smooth texture and eliminates the inevitable chunks that remain when you use a traditional potato masher (or similar object) to smoosh the potatoes. I usually prepare Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes 1 or 2 days before Thanksgiving and store them in the fridge. Once the turkey is done roasting, I put the potatoes in the oven along with any other side dishes that need to be reheated.
If you’re the cook, dishes like Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes will make your life so much easier on Thanksgiving Day but you’ll still need to make sure that the turkey is perfectly cooked and this can be tricky. I’ve overcooked my bird on more than one occasion and it was so disappointing. I came across this video last year and it is absolutely the best, most thorough demonstration of how to test a turkey for doneness so I highly recommend watching it if you’re cooking a turkey this year. I actually own a Thermapen, which is what he’s using in the video, and I love it – it’s so worth the investment, especially if you’re a serious cook. However, there are lots of less expensive options that get the job done just fine, such as this one.
Here are a few other Thanksgiving recipes you might be interested in checking out: 1 Easy Cranberry Sauce (you can make this in a slow cooker), Herbed Sweet Potato Biscuits, Pumpkin Lentil Flax Crackers, Vegan Pecan Blondie Pie, Roasted Cauliflower with Feta, Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Capers, Healthy Pecan Pie Cups, Maple Mustard Roasted Green Beans with Toasted Almonds, and Almond Flour Cranberry Sauce Muffins (great to make with leftover cranberry sauce). Happy Thanksgiving!
If you make Make Ahead Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 6 pounds russet potatoes (about 7 large), peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup sour cream (8-ounce container)
- 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Olive oil cooking spray
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the head of garlic on a square of aluminum foil and drizzle over the olive oil. Wrap the foil around the garlic to fully encase it and place on a baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Place the potatoes in a large stock pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Unwrap the roasted garlic and squeeze the cloves out of their papery skin into a large mixing bowl. Mash them with the tines of a fork to a paste. Add the cooked potatoes (see notes #1), sour cream, cream cheese, and butter to the bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and pepper. Mash and mix the potatoes, thoroughly combining them with the other ingredients as you go (the residual heat of the potatoes will melt the butter and further soften the cream cheese so everything can be well mixed). If piping stars on top, set aside 2 cups of the mixture.
- Spray a large casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray and transfer the potato mixture to the dish. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a large star tip, with the reserved potato mixture and pipe stars on the top layer if desired. Cover and store in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes until lightly golden brown on top and heated through.
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Thanks for your feedback Anthony! So glad your famly like them. This dish is a favorite in my family too!