These creamy garlic and chive mashed potatoes are super easy to make and full of delicious flavours. Thanks to the sour cream they are extra thick and tasty.
Creamy garlic and chive mashed potatoes are so fluffy and full of flavour they will elevate your entire meal. Just a couple of extra steps can take boring old potatoes to a whole new level.
I love potatoes. That is all! …just kidding. I mean, I do love potatoes but there is so much more to it. I love potatoes in all forms but mashed potatoes have a special place in my heart.
I am a huge fan of creamy, mushy, soft potatoes that are ideally paired with something saucy.
Preparing Creamy Garlic and Chive Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Yellow potatoes: I use yellow flesh potatoes in this recipe. Yellow potatoes are a bit more sweet and softer so overcooking them will make them mushy quickly.
Garlic: Garlic is a bulb that is edible and is grown in soil. Though the green shoots it sprouts, called garlic scapes, are also edible, we are referring to the actual bulb that the scapes grow from. Garlic bulbs are made up of multiple cloves and depending on the variety you may have anywhere from 4 to 10 cloves, if not more. This is important to know because recipes will often call for a specific number of cloves which can vary in size greatly.
Chives: Chives are part of the same family of plants as onions, garlic and leeks and are edible flowering plants. This herb is used in many cuisines around the world usually raw thanks to its mild flavour. Chives are high in vitamin C and contain some magnesium and iron, among other nutrients.
Butter: Butter is churned milk or cream and is high in fat. It is solidified when refrigerated, holds a semi-soft, spreadable consistency at room temperature, or can be liquefied when heated.
Sour cream: Sour cream is made from cream from dairy milk. Lactic acid bacteria is added to sweet cream creating a thick, tangy and creamy substance.
How to Make Creamy Garlic and Chive and Mashed Potatoes
Peel the potatoes. If they are not all relatively the same size cut the bigger ones to match the smaller ones. Mine are all about 2” by 2.5”. Depending on the size of your potatoes the cooking time will vary.
TIP: To speed up the cooking process, cut the potatoes into half-inch cubes. They should be cooked after about 20 minutes. The reason I don’t do this is that I usually serve mashed potatoes with a sauce which takes a bit longer to cook. This way I have both dinner components done at the same time.
Rinse the peeled potatoes, put them in a pot and cover them with water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and cook for about 45 minutes. Again, this time will depend on the size of your potatoes. My 45-minute timeline was from when I turned on the burner, not
from the time the water started to boil.While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a small pot on medium heat.
Once the butter begins to bubble add the garlic and sauté for a minute, just until fragrant, making sure not to brown the garlic. If you brown the garlic, it will taste bitter. Remove from heat to stop the cooking process.
Next, wash and chop the chives and set aside.
When the potatoes are done strain them and put them back in the pot.
TIP: To check doneness, use a fork to pierce a potato (ideally the largest one) making sure it goes all the way through without resistance.
Mash the potatoes, add the cooked butter and garlic, sour cream, and chives. Stir everything to combine and taste test. If required, add the remaining salt and pepper. Stir everything to combine.
Substitutions
Sour cream: Kefir or plain yogurt are great substitutes for sour cream in these mashed potatoes. There isn’t enough of it to overpower the flavour so the change in ingredient won’t impact the taste enough. Both kefir and yogurt will still add that creaminess we are looking for.
Yellow potatoes: you know I am biased towards yellow potatoes. Their sweetness and delicate texture win me over every time. With that said, for this dish, it’s all about personal preference. If you like other potatoes and then you’ll love them in this dish.
Serving Creamy Garlic and Chive Mashed Potatoes
In my books, mashed potatoes are the perfect pairing with every kind of meat. In Kyle’s books, they’re rarely a good pairing.
We find that the happy medium is to serve mashed potatoes with a sauce. So, any meat that you make in a sauce should be paired with these delicious creamy garlic and chive mashed potatoes. Try them with our chicken in mushroom sauce, it’s incredible!
If you are serving meat without sauce, try pairing our cucumber salad or carrot and apple slaw with it. The creaminess of this salad complement the potatoes so nicely.
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Creamy Garlic and Chive Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- Medium-large pot
- Peeling knife
- Knife and cutting boards
- Garlic press ((optional))
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1 tsp garlic (1 large clove or 2 medium)
- 1 tbsp chives
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp salt (+ 1/2 tsp)
- Pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes. If they are not all relatively the same size cut the bigger ones to match the smaller ones. Mine are all about 2” by 2.5”. Depending on the size of your potatoes the cooking time will vary.2 lbs potatoes
- Rinse the peeled potatoes, put them in a pot and cover them with water. Add the salt and cook for about 45 minutes. Again, this time will depend on the size of your potatoes. You can cut them into small pieces if you want them to cook faster. Also, 45 minutes was from when I turned on the burner not boiling time.
- While the potatoes are cooking, peel the garlic.1 tsp garlic
- Next, melt the butter in a small pot on medium heat.2 tbs butter
- Once the butter begins to bubble add the garlic. Sauté for a minute, just until fragrant, making sure not to brown the garlic as it will turn bitter. Remove from heat.
- Wash and chop the chives.1 tbsp chives
- When the potatoes are done strain them and put them back in the pot. To check doneness, use a fork to pierce a potato (the largest one) making sure it goes all the way through without resistance.
- Mash the potatoes, add the butter and garlic you cooked earlier, and the sour cream, chives remaining salt and pepper. Stir everything to combine.1 tsp garlic, 1 tbsp chives, 2 tbs butter, 2 tbsp sour cream, 1 tsp salt, Pinch ground black pepper
- Serve topped with more fresh chives.
