Smoked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
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Mashed potatoes are a quintessential holiday side dish, but they’re delicious all year round.
I’ve seen other smoked mashed potato recipes essentially put the already mashed potatoes on the smoker, but it got me thinking… what if I smoked the potatoes instead of boiling them?
I’m so glad I came up with the idea because they turned out to be some of the best I’ve ever made! If you love smoke and garlic, this will be right up your alley!
They pair so well with roasts, turkey, ham, and smoked steak. They really are the perfect side.
Smoked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients you’ll need
- Potatoes – I firmly believe that Yukon Gold potatoes are the superior potatoes for mashing, but if you prefer russet or red potatoes, use those. I like to leave the skin on because, well, I like it – if you’re not a fan of skin, then you can peel the potatoes first.
- Garlic – I love to roast the garlic in the smoker with the potatoes so it gets nice and soft.
- Butter – I used salted butter.
- Heavy cream and milk
Equipment you’ll need
- Smoker – I used my Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven, set to the smoker setting, with Hickory pellets. You can alternatively use a pellet grill or any smoker you like.
- Potato Masher – I’m sure you could use a mixer, but I enjoy mashing my potatoes by hand because they end up with more chunks. It’s all about your preference.
How to Make Smoked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
1. Fire up the smoker
Preheat your smoker to 250°F.
I smoked these on my Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven and added Hickory wood pellets.
- Beautiful design with sleek features
- Super versatile, ability to cook in many ways
- Could be slighly larger
2. Prep
Start by chopping the potatoes into quarters and peeling the garlic cloves.
Add your potatoes and cloves of garlic to a baking sheet (I used the baking pan that came with my Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven).
3. Smoke
Place the baking sheet into the oven and let them smoke.
In the Ninja Woodfire, due to the size, the potatoes only took about 40 minutes before they were fork tender.
A larger smoker may take more time, so just grab a fork and test the potatoes for tenderness before pulling them.
4. Mash
Once your potatoes and garlic are smoky and tender, you can transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
Add the heavy cream, milk, and butter and grab your potato masher and get to work.
At first, you may feel like you’ve made potato soup, but trust me – just keep mashing. It takes about 5-7 minutes.
Once the potatoes are mashed and creamy, season them to taste with salt and pepper – then they’re ready to enjoy!
Proteins to serve with smoked garlic mashed potatoes
- Smoked Whole Turkey
- Twice Smoked Spiral Ham
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Perfect Smoked Prime Rib
- Smoked and Fried Buttermilk Chicken
Smoked Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes - cut into quarters
- 10 cloves garlic - peeled
- ½ cup salted butter - sliced into pats
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 250°F.
- Place the quartered potatoes and peeled garlic cloves in a baking dish.
- Place on the smoker for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Transfer the potatoes and garlic to a large mixing bowl and add the heavy cream, milk, and butter.
- Using a potato masher, mash for 5-7 minutes until you reach the desired texture.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and mash once more to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only. If you’re worried you could always add a side of kale.
About Your Pitmaster
Breanna Stark is a Texas-based competitive pitmaster and barbecue educator. She grew up cooking over charcoal and open flames while camping with her father, sparking a lifelong love of barbecue. Since 2014, she has competed in over 100 IBCA, KCBS, and CBA events, earning recognition for her award-winning chicken and Texas-style barbecue.
Passionate about recipe testing and development to create approachable dishes that help backyard cooks level up their barbecue skills. Breanna shares her expertise with over three million followers on social media.