Roasted Garlic Purple Mashed Potatoes

Let’s be completely real people, the turkey + mashed potatoes + pie combo gets a little old after the 30th year in a row.
So this year I suggest you give your Thanksgiving table a fresh new look, adding a Lady Gaga/emo/psychedelic touch by serving purple mashed potatoes instead of regular yellow mashed potatoes.
Something that looks unusual, but tastes like the regular stuff (well, it actually tastes better.)
Because you don’t want just another Thanksgiving; this year you want an off-the-charts and always-to-be-remembered Thanksgiving.
And serving purple mashed potatoes might do it after all.
These are purple, bright purple, a tad weird purple mashed potatoes - they won't go unnoticed for sure.
And believe me when I say that these purple mashed potatoes are going to be THE showstopper; like having Gaga landing in the center of your table singing "Can't read my, can't read my. No you can't read my poker face"...that kind of weird.
Oh, just to clear the air, Lady Gaga is not my cup of tea, I just wanted to give you an idea of what you're in for.
E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E will remember Thankgiving 2013 at your house, even years from now. Promise.

How did I get myself into this weird purple mashed potatoes situation?
You guys know I’m a sucker for bizarre-looking food (remember cardoon and black carrots?) So when the other day my AuntG offered me some purple potatoes her friend Gaby recently harvested in her garden; I was all over it.
I had encountered purple potatoes before. At the Farmers’ market, at Dean&Deluca, at Whole Foods and I think at a couple of other specialty/organic stores around town.
For some reason, I’ve never bothered to buy them though.
But as AuntG was generous enough to offer them for free, I couldn't possible say no. You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, that is the saying.
Being Thanksgiving week, there was only one thing I could/should/would have possibly done with the purple potatoes: Mash them. Easy.

The cool thing about purple potatoes is that they’re different one from another in color - some are almost black (like beets), some are purple, others are white with dashes of purple here and there.
They’re also pretty small, like new potatoes. Which is a nice bonus, because they cook pretty quickly.
And they have plenty of health benefits to offer too. Ka-Boom!
Taste-wise, purple potatoes have a moist, firm flesh with a mild yet distinctly nutty flavor.
I’ve found that they’re perfect when mashed with roasted garlic. Well, IMHO everything goes well with roasted garlic (except for brownies and cookies), but purple potatoes...it hits the sweet spot.
So I urge you to do it as well. But you’re free to skip it and just go for regular purple mashed potatoes. Except that regular it’s not the right word to describe them.

Roasted Garlic Purple Mashed Potatoes                                                              Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 6 - 8

1 head garlic
2 lbs / 900 gr purple potatoes, well washed and peeled
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Ground black pepper
4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
¾ cup / 180 ml milk (your choice of milk)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F (210°C), place a rack in the middle.
Slice off the very top of the garlic head. Drizzle head with olive oil and wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake until tender and fragrant, about 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let cool a little bit and peel. Set aside.
In the meantime, place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes and drain.
Return pot to the stove and over low heat, heat the milk and butter until butter melts. Add roasted garlic and potatoes, and mash until smooth and creamy.
Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 228 calories, 9.5 grams of fat, 32.8 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein.