Potatoes are such a versatile vegetable. Everyone has a preferred way of having them: chips, baked, roasted, mashed. Mashed potato is a classic way to prepare the humble potato and is also a sounding board for so many other flavours: chilli, cheese, herbs, cream.
But so many of these options make these potatoes away from being a vegan or dairy free option. My olive oil mashed potatoes are a great alternative for those looking for a plant-based option!
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Olive oil mashed potato
This is a really different way of mashing potatoes to my other mash potato recipe. It’s completely dairy free for one, and it is a really unique way. I guarantee that this isn’t the recipe that your grandmother does (unless she is Italian and olive oil runs through her veins)! But that doesn’t change how delicious it is.
Plant-based (and delicious)
I don’t often make plant-based recipes, but I do think that being able to change a recipe to be plant-based is a skill worth having. I thought about how to do it for my mashed potato. What was it that potatoes really need? Fat, of course! So why not replace butter with my favourite, olive oil!
Olive Oil
So, with the realisation that it was fat that it needed, I knew that it would be brought to life with a really good quality olive oil. It creates a silky and smooth texture and brings a unique herby and light flavour.
The flavour is so simple and it comes from two of my favourite ingredients: garlic and rosemary. But the herbs are also up to you. Add in some thyme, dill, parsley. It depends on the dish that you’re making! A dill mashed potato would suit a salmon dish, a parsley one goes hand in hand with some red meat.
If you’re still wanting it plant-based, a meat free gravy would be delicious on top of this flavourful mash.
Make olive oil mashed potato in advance
That’s right! You can actually make this recipe in advance. Because of the lack of cream and butter and things that curdle, it doesn’t go claggy. It can be reheated really easily, so if you’re prepping a few things for dinner – this is something that can be done when you’ve got time and aren’t monitoring a few things at once!
My hot tip is to reserve some of the cooking liquid the potatoes were cooked in and add it into the pre-made mash before reheating it. It can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
Mash tips!
There are a million ways to mash a potato. Potato ricers, microwaving them. Whatever your technique, I think that just boiling them really well and a potato masher does the trick. Especially when cooking them this way.
That’s seriously it!
Yep, that’s it! That’s all that you need to make classic spuds in a not-so-classic way.
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
If you make olive oil mashed potato, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creation.
Olive oil mashed potato
Ingredients
- 1 kg russet potatoes 2.2lbs peeled and quartered
- 1 cup olive oil 8oz
- 2 garlic bulbs
- 1 sprig rosemary
- salt + pepper
Instructions
- Cut the top off the garlic bulb roughly 2cm down from the top so the cloves are exposed.
- In a small pot, combine the olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes or until the olive oil flavour is infused with garlic and rosemary. Carefully strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer into a glass jar. We will not need all of the oil for this recipe and the remaining oil can be stored for 1 week in the fridge and be used in any recipe that calls for olive oil. Set the garlic to the side.
- While the olive oil cooks, prepare the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water and swirl the potatoes around with your hands until the water turns cloudy. Drain the potato and rinse under cold water. Return the potatoes to the pot and cover with cold water, along with a generous amount of salt (roughly 2 tablespoons). Bring to the boil over high heat, then cook the potato for 20 - 25 minutes or until very soft – a skewer or knife should be able to go through them with no resistance.
- Reserve up to 1 cup of cooking water. Drain the potatoes in a colander and cover with a tea towel. This will allow the potato to steam and remove as much moisture as possible. Leave to sit for 10 minutes.
- Place the potatoes back into the pot they were cooked in and mash with a potato masher. Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, slowly incorporate up to 1 cup of cooking water and up to ½ cup olive oil until the potatoes are at your desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over fresh rosemary and squeeze over the cooked garlic cloves if you desire! Serve immediately or store in a tupperware in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Sounds great any issue using a good extra virgin olive oil ? Recipe calls for olive oil
I only ever use a good quality extra virgin olive oil!
How do I know a “good quality” olive oil… I’m so lost when shopping for my next bottle! What do I look for other than a specific brand???
Love your Instagram, I’m a garlic girl 100%.
Always buy “extra virgin” olive oil from a reputable brand! If you’re based in Australia my go to brands are Rich Glen Olive Oil and Cobram Estate.