Julie’s Favorite Grilled Mashed Potatoes

Recipe inspiration:

No hum drum mashed potatoes here! These babies are sliced and grilled for a golden caramelized crust, then steamed the rest of the way in red wine. Then they’re mashed to deliciousness with a healthy dose of roasted garlic, mushroom stock, and the usual fixings. Finally, they’re topped with a caramelized onion and cremini mushroom red wine sauce. It is as good as it sounds. Promise.

Recipe ingredients:

For the potatoes:
3 lbs red potatoes
2 heads garlic
olive oil
1/4 cup red wine (white works too)
2 TB butter
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup Pacific mushroom stock
salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:
2 large sweet onions, quartered then sliced
10 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
2 TB butter
2 TB flour
1 cup red wine
2 cups Pacific mushroom stock
2 TB balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Cooking instructions:

For the potatoes:

1. Slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices. Toss with about 1 TB of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to coat.

2. Cut the top off the heads of garlic to expose the top of the cloves. Place each head individually on a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil, and pinch the foil closed so it encases the head of garlic. Place these on a cooler part of the grill and forget about them, or alternatively, place in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.

3. Grill the potato slices over medium heat until both sides have nice and dark grill marks, and a deep golden color. The longer these grill, the stronger grill flavor the final dish will have. I even let some of my slices get a little charred because I'm into that sort of thing.

4. Once the slices are grilled, get a big sheet of aluminum foil, dump all the potatoes in the center, pour in the red wine, and pinch up the ends so you have a big enclosed bundle. Let this sit on the grill on low heat with the cover down. This will let the potatoes cook until they reach mashability and infuse them with a rich wine flavor.

5. Don't forget to check on your garlic! It's ready to come off the grill when it's soft to the touch. This for me happened to be the same amount of time it took to cook the potatoes.

6. When the potatoes are fork tender, place them in a bowl, and while still warm, add the butter, yogurt, buttermilk, and mushroom stock. With a potato masher, pulverize the mixture! The potatoes may have developed a bit of a crispy crust from the grilling, so initially it takes a little muscle to get the ball rolling, but don't worry, it gets easier once you break that crust down. Mash until it's the consistency you like. It'll need more liquid than regular mashed potatoes because so much has cooked out during the grilling process. I just kept adding buttermilk until it was creamy enough for my liking. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste, as well as the roasted garlic. You can either tediously peel each clove, or just squeeze at the bottom until it squirts out like a tube of toothpaste.

For the sauce:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 TB of olive oil. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and sweat them until they give off all their water. Before the onions start to brown, turn the heat down to low and cook until they fully caramelize and reach a rich, golden color, about 45 minutes to an hour. You may need to increase the heat to medium-low if they still have a lot of moisture. The trick is to make sure they don't brown.

2. In a separate pan over medium heat, and add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms give off their water and cook down, about 10 minutes.

3. Clear a little spot in the mushroom pan and add the butter. When it has melted add the flour, and stir to combine into a paste. Let this cook for a minute or two to cook off the raw flour taste, then deglaze the pan with the red wine. After a couple of minutes when most of the wine has cooked down, add the mushroom stock, balsamic vinegar, and caramelized onions, and let the mixture simmer until a nice, thick sauce forms.

4. Serve this over your grilled mashed potatoes, top with some fresh parsley, and enjoy!