Welcome to my vegetarian Thanksgiving universe, densely populated with various forms of insanely delicious mashed potatoes. Stop number two on our holiday potato tour (first stop was for these Brown Butter Citrus Sweet Potatoes with spiced walnut crunch) is a creamy, dreamy, butter-drenched romp of a slightly untraditional mashed potato party. Think: Mountains of soft goat cheese, crispy shaved garlic, and rosemary infused butter.
I spent the weekend on an unexpected journey to the Big Island, where I got to join my friends in their own kind of synthesis: A ten year wedding anniversary vow renewal, affectionately dubbed their “re-wedding”. Gabby and Bennett are very close friends (I was at the birth of both of their kids, alternately getting puked on or holding back Gabby’s legs to help the baby out…oh wait, TMI?), but I didn’t know them when they first married. It was a total joy to be with them the second time round.
We luxuriated in two and a half hour brunches, soaked in the Kona coast ocean, and danced our hearts out every night after dinner. We also discussed, at length, our plans for Thanksgiving next week. Gabby and Bennett (and their sweet babes Izzy and Sabine) live on my island home Maui (where I grew up, for anyone just joining), and regularly host epic Thanksgivings with friends and family. My dad, his partner Susan, and I go each year, our arms laden with mashed potatoes, savory galettes, and Susan’s totally killer passion fruit cheesecake.
Saying goodbye in Kona, we were all already dreaming of Thanksgiving. I’ll be bringing these rosemary chèvre mashed potatoes to the table this year.
Don’t forget to check out the entire Kale & Caramel vegetarian Thanksgiving feast! See blog archives for recipes from this past week (herb crusted tofu and life-changing shiitake mushroom gravy, the aforementioned sweet potatoes, a fall kale salad with shaved fennel and Asian pear, and balsamic brussels sprouts with pomegranate, feta, and mint!), and stay tuned for more to come (vegan gingersnap chocolate cream pie! fennel spiced cranberry sauce! and a Thanksgiving cocktail!).
ROSEMARY CHÈVRE MASHED POTATOES.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds gold potatoes or potatoes of choice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon chèvre
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Wash potatoes and peel if desired (I like a more rustic mash, with peels on). Cut into quarters, and steam in a large stock pot with a metal steamer and plenty of water. Steam until potatoes are cooked through and tender when pierced with a fork, about 20-30 minutes. (You can also boil the potatoes if you don’t have a steamer.)
- While the potatoes cook, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium flame. Add sliced garlic and rosemary leaves and swirl pan to begin to sauté. Watch over the next few minutes as the garlic begins to brown. When the edges are golden and starting to crisp, and it smells delicious, remove from heat.
- When potatoes are cooked, remove from heat, drain water, and empty potatoes from steamer into drained stock pot. Mash with a potato masher until largely smooth, then add chèvre, sour cream, and sea salt.
- Continue to mash until incorporated, then add almost all of the butter, garlic, and rosemary mixture, reserving a bit for garnish. Mix in thoroughly, and leave in covered pan until ready to serve. Serve garnished with reserved crispy rosemary, butter, and garlic pieces.
