Garlic mashed potatoes made in a crockpot
- Carbohydrate 7.10953401785714 g
- Cholesterol 18.3452380952381 mg
- Fat 7.69880470238095 g
- Fiber 0.731933052062988 g
- Protein 1.824703125 g
- Saturated Fat 3.49826142857143 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (66g)
- Sodium 56.6868809523809 mg
- Sugar 6.37760096579416 g
- Trans Fat 0.882752202380953 g
- Calories 102 calories
Step-by-step
- Halve or quarter potatoes to make even sizes.
- Place potatoes in a 4-6 qt. slow cooker.
- Add garlic, oil, salt, and water and mix to coat.
- Cover crockpot and cook on high for 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 hours until potatoes are tender.
- Mash potatoes roughly with a fork.
- Stir in cream cheese until blended, then add enough milk for desired consistency.
- (More salt and pepper may be added as needed.)
- May be served right away, or cover and hold in slow cooker up to 2 hours on low.
- Makes fourteen 1/2 cup servings.
Ingredient lists omit the physical mechanics of starch rupture, which dictates whether potatoes turn creamy or gluey during mashing. Boiling tubers in a pot leaches out amylose into the cooking water, whereas confining them with just half a cup of liquid inside a four to six-quart slow cooker traps those starches right where they belong. Cutting the red potatoes into uniform halves or quarters ensures they soften concurrently over that three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half-hour window without requiring constant monitoring.
Overworking boiled tubers releases excessive free starch that transforms a side dish into wallpaper paste, but the slow cooker method mitigates this risk when utilizing a simple fork for initial breaking. Incorporating flavored cream cheese adds dairy solids and stabilizers that coat the starch granules, producing velvety richness without relying on massive amounts of butter. Gradual incorporation of whole milk prevents the mixture from turning watery, allowing total control over viscosity before the dish goes to the table.
Maintaining temperature stability is straightforward because the ceramic insert retains enough residual heat to hold the finished starch mixture safely on the low setting for up to two hours. This holding window provides flexibility when coordinating multiple dishes for a gathering, though stirring occasionally prevents a dry crust from forming along the perimeter of the vessel. Adjusting quantities downward requires reducing the cooking liquid proportionally so the tubers steam rather than submerge.
Economical cooking relies on maximizing flavor extraction from inexpensive aromatics like minced garlic by letting them soften directly against the potato surfaces during the long heating cycle. Red potatoes offer thin skins that add rustic texture without demanding manual peeling, cutting down on kitchen prep time and food waste simultaneously. Selecting a higher-fat milk alternative avoids the thinness common in skim varieties, ensuring proper mouthfeel without inflating the grocery budget.
