Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Garlic
Are you a mashed potato fan? I never used to be. To me, mashed potatoes meant a white, tasteless paste – possibly made of potatoes, or maybe from some unidentified flakes in a box.
It wasn’t that long ago that we decided to start eating real food. Thinking back, it breaks my heart thinking about how much I missed. Because mashed potatoes can be REAL food – and not only delicious, but good for you too!
Instead of watering the potatoes down to a lifeless puree, here we’ve kept the potato skins (to add nutrients and texture), and added kale, thanks to an idea from 101 Cookbooks. Dark, leafy greens are some of the best foods you can eat – why not incorporate them into your potatoes? (Genius.) We found the texture of the kale to be satisfying, and barely noticed any bitterness that can sometimes come from kale.
We’ve also replaced the traditional cream and butter with milk and olive oil, and thrown in some green onions and parmesan for for measure. Who said mashed potatoes had to be devoid of taste and nutritional value?
Try this out as an alternative to the standard side dish at a Thanksgiving or other holiday feast!
Mashed Potatoes with Kale and Garlic
Serves 6 as a side
Inspired by 101 Cookbooks
What You Need
3 pounds red-skinned potatoes
1 cup milk
1 bunch kale
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic
4 green onions
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
What To Do
1 Chop the potatoes – do not peel. Place the pieces in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, dice 6 cloves garlic. Wash the kale leaves, remove the tough stems, and chop the leaves into small pieces. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil; then add the kale and garlic and saute for about 4 minutes until the kale is completely wilted and tender. Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
3 Chop the scallions. Warm the 1 cup milk in the microwave (for about 1 minute).
4 When the potatoes are done (test with a fork or by tasting), drain them. Then pour in the warm milk and mash the potatoes with a masher, adding more milk if desired to get to a thinner consistency. Season with about 1 teaspoon kosher salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. Then stir in the kale, garlic, chopped scallions, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired, adding more olive oil, cheese, salt, or pepper as necessary.
Tags: Fall, Garlic, Gluten-Free, Green Onions, Healthy, Holiday, Kale, Potatoes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Winter
32 Comments
Erin
16 Nov 2011 09:11 am
Dang that looks tasty! I LOVE loaded mashed potatoes, with skin on. Adding leafy greens is a great idea and will perhaps help to offset the sour cream, butter and cheese that we always add :)
Alex
16 Nov 2011 10:11 am (@)
Haha - it is tasty! I was worried that the kale would ruin some of the decadence - but it only added to the fun :)
MrsMudd
16 Nov 2011 09:11 am
red skins are always tender and sweet, but some of the best for mashing would be the yukon gold varieties….creamy!! Love the idea of adding the kale. Certainly have added oil or other types of ingrediants to cream up potatoes…the richest (and likely most unhealthy, but very tasty) would be schmaltz! (chicken fat…used when keeping kosher!)
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 05:11 pm (@)
Ooo, we'll have to try it with yukon golds - thanks for the idea!
Liz
16 Nov 2011 10:11 am
I’m really going to have to try this soon. I’ve been wanting to start eating kale for a while now, but I’m a reluctant salad eater and new leafy greens scare me (although I think I got that apple & pear with curry salad from your site a little while back and I love, love, love it!). The one time I tried kale a few years ago, I ate it raw because I didn’t understand its better uses. Gag!
Now, I’ve seen recipes that use kale in soups and here in your mashed potatoes that encourage me to try again because I know how nutritious it is. (Also, I have to sneak it in so I don’t scare my husband with a new food.) So thanks!
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
So excited to hear about your interest in kale! We actually have a raw kale salad recipe on our site, but you have to use younger kale (some kale can be super spicy raw!) :)
Let us know if you try this out! You also might like the spicy kale lasagne on this site - it's a good way to sneak it in without too kale-y of a taste :)
And glad oyu liked the apple curry salad - it's one of my favorite recent recipes too!
Tiffany
16 Nov 2011 11:11 am
My husband saw the potato flakes in the box one time and asked, “Do humans actually eat this?” Oh lucky man he is to have grown up with real food his entire life! I, like you, just started eating “real food” a few years back. Mashed potatoes was one of the first things I learned to make. But now I am seeing all of these great ways to jazz it up (like you just shared and also a guest blogger on my page yesterday) and I am ready to take my potato-mashing to the next step. Thanks for the inspiration!
PS – I visit you guys enough that I am now adding you to the “Blogs I Can’t Get Enough Of” section on my page. Expect even more visits from me :)
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
Haha! I hadn't thought of those flakes in a while, but writing the post certainly brought back some memories. So wonderful for your husband to have always eaten real food! :)
Thanks for adding us to your site - keep in touch!!
Annie
16 Nov 2011 11:11 am
will you bring some to the next family gathering? pleeeeeease?
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
Done! :)
Heather Taylor @ Kids in the Sink
16 Nov 2011 02:11 pm
These look great! I only ever ate mashed potatoes out of a box and when I first got married I thought I was doing something exciting by switching to red mashed potatoes out of a box. It wasn’t until I got pregnant that I changed my eating habits and made real mashed potatoes! And I’ve been looking for ways to try out kale more so this is perfect!
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
Perfect! Once you start with real, it's hard to go back! :) Let us know if you try it out!
Amy
16 Nov 2011 08:11 pm
This looks amazing guys, can’t wait to try!
STH
16 Nov 2011 08:11 pm
It’s Colcannon! We love this and I often make it to top Shepherd’s Pie–it’s a great way to sneak a little more nutrition and flavor into the dish.
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
We'd never heard of Colcannon - thanks for introducing us to the concept! And great idea re Shepherd's Pie - we'll have to try that out!
Cate
16 Nov 2011 10:11 pm
I’ve been trying to put kale into everything lately! I’m sure my husband’s getting a tiny bit tired of it, but it’s so cheap and abundant at the farmers market right now, and so full of nutrients that I can’t resist!
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
I can't either! We have some other recipes with kale on the site that are good ways to use it - I like the spicy kale lasagne and the chickpea and kale stew most! What other things have you been trying?
anna maria
17 Nov 2011 01:11 am
These look DELICIOUS. Won’t be making Thanksgiving dinner this year (just contributing to breakfast the day after), but have bookmarked these to try sometime this season. Can’t wait to taste them!
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
Oh, thank you! We won't be hosting either, but we'll be taking various items to family gatherings. I can't wait to make them again! Let us know if you try them out :)
Melissa @ Kids in the Sink
17 Nov 2011 09:11 am
I don’t often make mashed potatoes or really any kind of potatoes but these look so good for you that I can’t resist. I can’t wait for an occasion to make these. My family is pretty big on sticking with the same things for big holiday dinners so I’ll have to make them on my own at home rather than for Thanksgiving. I just recently used kale to make kale chips and it was my first time working with kale. They turned out wonderfully!
Sonja
17 Nov 2011 06:11 pm (@)
Wonderful! We don't really make mashed potatoes much either, but after making these we may be! :) Let us know if you try them out!
Fabrizia Spinelli
17 Nov 2011 11:11 am
Such a lovely post, I like it! Sounds really delicious!!
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Annie
17 Nov 2011 11:11 pm
I would loooove these. Definitely trying them sometime soon.
Sonja
18 Nov 2011 03:11 pm (@)
Ooo, awesome! I was just thinking of you and thinking we should have a cooking date sometime :) And you reminded me I need to go comment on one of your Thanksgiving recipes! :)
J
18 Nov 2011 10:11 am
I cannot lie: I used to specifically make my poor mother buy me boxed, flaked potatoes against her better judgement so could make and eat them after school. I’m glad I’ve evolved from there.
I’m so happy to see the red potatoes with the skin on, I wouldn’t make my mash any other way. The addition of kale is a delightful surprise, I’ve been eating more and more of it: so delicious and so versatile!
I recommend you try boiling the potatoes in stock for extra flavor. Perhaps a tad wasteful, but they’ll taste so rich without needing to add fat.
Jessica @ The Desert Abode
18 Nov 2011 01:11 pm
These look amazing! Eating mashed potatoes always makes me feel like eating a salad so perhaps this would balance it out. I think my standard mashed may be getting a new twist …
I recently discovered your blog (first comment) and I have a feeling that I will be making several of your recipes. :)
holidayrecipes
19 Nov 2011 08:11 pm
Yummy! I love mashed potatoes. What a great twist on a classic dish. I dont normally use kale in anything I make so this a great way to get in on the nutrients I’ve been missing. I love garlic though! Thanks for sharing :)
The Cilantropist
22 Nov 2011 03:11 am
Oh wow this sounds like such a fantastic idea! I think I am going to try it out even when it is not thanksgiving, I bet the textures and tastes are incredible to eat. :)
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
26 Nov 2011 02:11 pm
This looks amazing! I have such a hard time getting myself to eat green vegetables (I have an extreme sensitivity to bitterness)-but I love mashed potatoes and garlic, and this seems like a great way to trick myself into eating something healthy ;). Thank you!
Sonja
22 Dec 2011 05:12 pm (@)
I agree, kale can be a little bitter! I was surprised that it didn't seem to be in this recipe :) It's also very palatable in our spicy kale lasagne and kale and garlic soup recipes. Let us know if the trick worked!
Courtney
19 Dec 2011 02:12 am
This looks divine! I’m obsessed with kale! What do you think would be a good substitute for milk? And is the parmesan cheese necessary?
Sonja
22 Dec 2011 04:12 pm (@)
Hmm, I think you might be able to use soy milk or coconut milk to get some creaminess. The parmesan cheese is not necessary, though it adds a great flavor! If I didn't use it, I might use a bit more garlic and herbs to amp the flavor, but it would be fine on its own too.
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