Mashed Potatoes with Manchego and Olive Oil

Mashed Potatoes with Manchego and Olive Oil
Serves 12

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
1/2 stick butter
3 cups cream/milk/etc, heated
8oz Manchego cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice

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 and butter 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.

Weirdo Mashed Potatoes

I was assigned the job of making mashed potatoes for our Erev Yom Kippur dinner the other night. But what did I see but a random mix of fancypants organic malnourished little yukon, red, and Peruvian purple potatoes! But in the end, this worked quite well.

Technicolor Mashed Potatoes
Served 6

Mixed little potatoes, mostly Peruvian purples. Enough to fill a 3-Quart saucepan.
4T Butter
~1.25c Milk/Cream
Lotsa Salt, Pepper
8 or so gigantic chives, about 1/2 cup chopped

Scrub and cut up the potatoes. Boil them (skin on).
Make mashed potatoes!
Eat them! Amazingly enough, they won't look like purple nastyness.