This is on the right track but rather than boiling them in water and then mixing all that shit in, boil them in milk or a mix of milk & heavy cream or whatever you're going to use. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to the milk mix along with a bay leaf or two and then use a little of the milk you've boiled them to thin the mash when you're done.

Also, using a ricer or food mill makes all the difference in the world.

i hadnt thought of the bay leaf

I did Julia Child's mash potatoes where you make a garlic and butter sauce first. Then incorporate the sauce into the boiled potatoes. Quite good but more labor intensive.

I used to roast garlic for hours and then mash the cloves up into a soupy mess and douse the potatoes with it, but they were too garlicy for my mother's traditional Thanksgiving sensibilities, so the garlic is much lighter these days.

The sour cream is not an item I normally throw in there, but I could see it working. I generally use heavy cream instead of milk in the mashing process as I/we prefer our potatoes more whipped than mashed.

Actually, the process of making her sauce takes out a lot of the garlic flavor. It's a very subtle garlic flavor but with more depth.

Also, I'm a big believer of Yukon Gold Potatoes for mashed potatoes.

OK, The Great Thanksgiving Mashed Potato Debate continues.

Sorry, but I really disagree on the use of redskin potatoes for mashed taters. They're too waxy, and, at least as far as I'm concerned, that waxiness leads inevitably to a sticky/ gummy end product. Yukon Gold or Russets for me. Peel and boil them in salted water (start the water cold, do NOT try to get a head start on the process by using hot water- that's how you end up with fuzzy potatoes on the outside/ undercooked on the inside) until just fork tender.

Drain them in a colander and toss them back in the hot pot and stir to evaporate residual water. Billy G is spot on about using a ricer- run them through that ricer, add a shit ton of unsalted butter, and just enough heavy cream to provide the texture you like, salt/pepper to taste, some chopped fresh parsley if you're feeling fancy; stir it all up and you're done. Simple and fool-proof.

Nail on the head. That's the way we like em here in Virginy - adhesively sticky to the stomach and intestinal lining. Mmmmm.

I'm in Korea so no thanksgiving for me, probably just more Kimchi and bulgogi.

and world war 3

Yes, of course its not truly festive unless those whacky North Koreans don't blow something up.

And a Thanksgiving breakfast toast to you all...

I gotta say, this stuffing was qual for my first time making it



Bought a sourdough loaf from Provence, cubed it up then browned some non-cased mild italian sausage in butter and combined with eggs, parsley, sage, thyme, sweet onion, and celery. Baked it for an hour in the oven and dammmn.