Herbed Garlic Vegan Mashed Potatoes

Why This Herbed Garlic Vegan Mashed Potatoes Works

As the potatoes boil, the chunks soak up water and the starch inside them swells. After a few minutes, they start to break down and go from hard to fluffy when pressed with a fork. Draining them and putting them back in the warm pot lets some extra steam escape, so the mash ends up creamy instead of watery.

While that happens, the garlic sits in warm olive oil and slowly softens. It gently browns and the sharp bite fades, so the garlic tastes mellow and spreads evenly through the oil. When that garlic oil goes into the hot potatoes, it coats the starch and keeps the mash smooth and rich even without butter.

Once the almond milk and herbs are added, the warm potatoes drink in the liquid. The starch thickens the almond milk, so it doesn’t feel thin, and the oil keeps everything from turning gluey. As the parsley and thyme mix through the hot mash, their taste spreads into every bite instead of staying in little pockets.

Mistakes To Avoid

Boiling the potatoes too long makes them start to break apart in the water and soak it up. Once mashed, they turn gluey and pasty instead of fluffy, and the mash feels heavy and sticky on the tongue.

Starting the potatoes in already boiling water instead of cold water causes the outside to cook fast while the centers stay a bit firm. When mashed, there are hard little chunks mixed into an otherwise soft mash, so the texture feels uneven and lumpy.

Pouring in all the almond milk at once can leave the potatoes too loose. The mash turns runny and won’t hold soft peaks, so it spreads flat on the plate instead of sitting in a gentle mound.

Adding the fresh herbs too early in the hot oil or to the pot while it is still very hot can make them darken and wilt hard. The herbs then look dull and speckled instead of bright green, and the mash loses that fresh, just-chopped look.