Easy, buttery, and creamy garlic red skin mashed potatoes is a quick and rustic side dish that will be a welcomed addition at any table. In this homemade recipe, we leave the skin on for more flavor, texture, and nutrition. Just 5 simple ingredients and ready in 20 minutes!
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Because of their higher moisture content, red potatoes make the creamiest mashed potatoes, while still looking rustic and beautiful. They're also fantastic roasted, like in my chimichurri potatoes.
Garlic butter and half & half is added to make extra smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes, while also deepening the flavor. We then add chives at the end for freshness and a pop of color.
This rustic mashed red skin potatoes recipe is rich and buttery, garlicky, and oh-so-satisfying – it'll be the hit at any Thanksgiving table, just like this vegetarian mushroom stuffing and stuffed squash recipe.
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⭐️ Why These Mashed Potatoes are the Best
- Creamy, smooth, & fluffy mashed potatoes with added flavor and texture from leaving the skin on.
- Rich, buttery, and garlicky flavor
- Easy homemade mashed potatoes with red skin recipe using 5 simple ingredients and ready in 20 minutes
- Mashed potato recipe that's high in fiber, naturally gluten-free, and full of essential vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B6, vitamin C, and niacin.
- Freezer-friendly recipe
- Reheating instructions provided
🥔 Ingredient Notes
- Red skin potatoes - Naturally creamy and waxy, with a thin skin, making them perfect for "skin on" mashed potatoes. Red skin potatoes are high in fiber, naturally gluten-free, and full of essential vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B6, vitamin C, and niacin.
- Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter lets us control the amount of salt in our cooking.
- Garlic - I recommend using fresh garlic for optimal flavor, but jarred garlic or garlic powder will work as a substitute.
- Fresh chives - Adds freshness and a pop of color. If you don’t have fresh chives, substitute 1 tablespoon of dried chives.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Make vegan/dairy-free: Substitute any plant-based/vegan butter and plant-based/vegan milk or cream like almond milk or soy milk. The mashed potatoes will be just as delicious.
- Cheesy. Add ½ cup of blue cheese to your potatoes for a delicious cheesy variation.
- Half & half. Substitute milk or heavy cream for the half & half.
- Herbs. Substitute your favorite herb in place of the chives. Fresh parsley, cilantro, or thyme would all be delicious.
🔪 How To Make Garlic Mashed Red Skin Potatoes
Cook potatoes: Place cut potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add large pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust heat to medium-high and cook potatoes until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Make the garlic butter: While the potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a small frying pan over low heat. Once completely melted, add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat.
Drain and mash potatoes: After potatoes have finished cooking, drain completely and return potatoes to the pot. Pour in garlic butter and half & half, and mash potatoes until well combined and mashed to your desired consistency.
Season and serve: Add chives, salt, and pepper, and give the potatoes another good stir. Serve while hot.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Cut potatoes evenly. When you cut your potatoes, be sure that they are all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Don’t forget to salt your water before boiling the potatoes. It adds flavor and allows for more thorough cooking.
- Start with cold water to cook the potatoes. This ensures even cooking.
- Don't over boil. For this amount of mashed potatoes (which serves around 6 people), you should boil your potatoes 10-12 minutes. Don’t over boil or your potatoes will turn gummy.
- Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- How to reheat: The easiest way to reheat mashed red potatoes is to pour a glug of olive oil into a non-stick pan and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5-7 minutes.
- How to freeze: These mashed potatoes freeze very well. Be sure to portion out the potatoes into smaller freezer bags for easier reheating later.
- How to serve mashed potatoes: Pair them with my vegetarian sloppy joes, spinach stuffed salmon, or stuffed zucchini with rice to round out your meal.
⏲️ Frequently Asked Questions
The beauty of using red skin potatoes is that they have a thin skin, so you can leave the skin on. It gives the mashed potatoes more flavor and texture, so definitely don’t peel your red potatoes.
Red skinned potatoes are naturally creamy and waxy, so they are a great potato for mashing. Combine them with half & half, garlic, and butter for a delicious side dish.
For this amount of mashed potatoes (which serves around 6 people), you should boil them 10-12 minutes. Don’t over boil or your potatoes will turn gummy.
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Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- large saucepan
- small frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red skin potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- large pinch of salt
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup half & half
- ½ cup fresh chives, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place cut potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add large pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust heat to medium-high and cook potatoes until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a small frying pan over low heat. Once completely melted, add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat.
- After potatoes have finished cooking, drain completely and return potatoes to the pot. Pour in garlic butter and half & half, and mash potatoes until well combined and mashed to your desired consistency.
- Add chives, salt, and pepper, and give the potatoes another good stir. Serve while hot.
Video
Notes
- Cut potatoes evenly. When you cut your potatoes, be sure that they are all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Don’t forget to salt your water before boiling the potatoes. It adds flavor and allows for more thorough cooking.
- Start with cold water to cook the potatoes. This ensures even cooking.
- Don't over boil. For this amount of mashed potatoes (which serves around 6 people), you should boil your potatoes 10-12 minutes. Don’t over boil or your potatoes will turn gummy.
- Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Lynn
These mashed potatoes totally hit the spot! I added about 1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles at the end, and the whole family agreed that I should make this again and soon!
Gastronotherapy
Yay! So glad your family enjoyed this recipe, Lynn! I love adding blue cheese to this every once in a while, too. It makes for an extra decadent side dish!
Lauren
So deliciously creamy and buttery while still feeling rustic! My family requested this again at Thanksgiving!
MaryAnne
So glad to hear that, Lauren!