Mashed Potatoes with Manchego and Olive Oil

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Instead of using butter, chef José Andrés prefers to add richness with olive oil and Manchego cheese. His tip: "Add the olive oil slowly to the potatoes because if you dump it in all at once, you'll get streaks of oil."

Mashed Potatoes with manchego and olive oil
Photo: © Lucy Schaeffer
Active Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 10 mins
Yield:
12
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Ingredients

  • 2 heads of garlic, top third of each cut off

  • 1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 6 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

  • Water

  • Salt

  • 3 cups heavy cream, heated

  • 1/2 pound young Manchego cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Stand the garlic on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle with oil and wrap in the foil. Bake for about 1 hour, until the garlic is very soft. Squeeze the soft cloves from the skins into a small bowl and mash with a fork.

  2. Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot of water. Salt the water and boil over moderately high heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Shake the pot over moderately high heat for 1 minute to dry the potatoes.

  3. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, then mash in half of the hot cream. Add the remaining cream and mash again. Stir in the Manchego to melt, then slowly stir in the mashed garlic and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and serve.

Originally appeared: December 2006

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