Fall weather calls for comfort food, and there’s really nothing more comforting that a potato. Vegan Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cream are warm and cozy, and will help keep out the chill of the long autumn evenings. They're the perfect side dish for just about any dinner, and they're wonderful for Thanksgiving or Christmas. This easy recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free.
Smashed Potatoes
I'm going to have to admit something unpopular here: I'm not a big fan of mashed potatoes. I love potatoes, but I just don't like really mushy foods. When I do make mashed taters, I like leave big chunks, and I sometimes mix other ingredients in, like I did in my colcannon recipe.
I really love smashed potatoes, and they're one of my go-to potatoey side dishes. They're crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. And they're extra delicious when served with Roasted Garlic Cream.
How to Make Smashed Potatoes
Smashed potatoes do take a little longer to prepare than other potato recipes, but most of it is inactive time. The delicious payoff at the end is well worth the wait!
I like to use baby Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe. Pretty much any small potato will work though.
- First, you put the potatoes and water on the stovetop to boil for about 15 minutes or so, until they're fork-tender, Once the potatoes are done boiling, drain them and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, and use a potato masher, flat spatula, glass or jar to smash them. (I like to use a glass.) You want to smash them into flat patties but keep them intact. Be careful not too smash them too hard, or they'll fall apart.
- Sprinkle the smashed potatoes with a little oil, salt and pepper. Bake them 20 to 25 minutes, or until they brown and the edges turn crispy.
How to Roast Garlic
Roasted garlic is pretty magical. Once roasted, the taste mellows and the cloves become soft and creamy. It's super easy to make roasted garlic.
- First, you peel off most of the paper on the garlic bulb. You want to leave a little to keep it intact.
- Then, you slice off the tops of the cloves in one big cut.
- Next, you drizzle the exposed cloves with a little oil and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Finally, you wrap the bulb in foil and roast it in a 400° oven for about 40 minutes. If you have an air fryer, you can cut your time in half—just cook it for 20 minutes on 400°.
How to Make Roasted Garlic Cream
- After your garlic has roasted and cooled slightly, squeeze out the softened cloves.
- Place them in a blender along with soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and garlic powder. Then just blend until it's smooth and creamy.
While I have written up the instructions for the roasted garlic cream and potatoes separately, it’s pretty easy to make both at once. When making this, I boil, smash, and cook the potatoes while the garlic is roasting. Everything is done around the same time. Once your potatoes and cream are done, pour the cream over the potatoes and dig in!
You'll end up with some leftover Roasted Garlic Cream, but it tastes great on just about anything – it’s great on baked potatoes, roasted veggies, tacos, and even avocado toast. You might want to make a double batch and keep it in the fridge in case you find yourself with a dish that needs a little bit of roasted garlickly goodness. It freezes well, so you can pop half in the freezer for later, if you like.
Smashed Potatoes are Great for Holiday Dinners!
These Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cream are a great side dish. Because they seem a little fancier than regular roasted potatoes, they're terrific for holiday dinners – I love to serve them at Christmas and Thanksgiving. They’re also perfect party appetizer, and they even make a tasty snack!
Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cream
Ingredients
For the Garlic Cream
- 1 bulb of garlic
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch ground black pepper
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for two hours and drained
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Potatoes
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
Instructions
Make the Garlic Cream
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Peel most of the paper off of the garlic, but make sure you keep the bulb intact. Use a sharp knife to cut the top part of the garlic bulb off. You’ll want to trim about ¼” off.
- Drizzle the tops of exposed cloves with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and the black pepper. Cover the bulb with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the cloves are soft. The garlic is done with deeply golden brown and completely soft. If you're using an air fryer, you can cook it on 400° for 20 minutes.
- Allow the bulb to cool about 10 minutes.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic out into a food processor or blender. Add the rest of the Garlic Cream ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. If you’re using a blender, start slow and then build up to a high-speed, otherwise the ingredients might get stuck. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more water, a teaspoon at a time. The mixture will thicken as it sits.
Make the Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot with water along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and the bay leaves. You’ll want enough water to cover the potatoes plus about two inches
- Cook until the water boils and the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- While the potatoes are boiling, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°.
- Drain the potatoes and place them on the baking sheet. Be sure to remove the bay leaves.
- Use a potato masher, flat spatula, or the bottom of a jar to gently smash each potato. The potatoes should be flat, but still in one piece.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- Drizzle generously with the Roasted Garlic Cream and garnish with the chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen
Potatoes are my weakness. Add garlic into the mix and it's a serious addiction. These look SO good!
Becky Striepe
These look awesome, and I'd like to drink that sauce!
Dianne
Thank you! I want to drink it too! 🙂
Dianne
Thank you! Yeah, not much can beat potatoes and garlic.
Cadry
You're so right that potatoes are the perfect comfort food. These look like such a great side dish - especially with that garlic cream. Sign me up!
Hedi
Roasted garlic sauce caught my attention immediately! Sounds really delicious!
Dianne
Thank you, Cadry!
Dianne
Thank you, Hedi!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
Smashed potatoes are one of my favorite things to make! I have a recipe from last year that I never posted, this reminds me to get on it. LOL. Loving the extra garlic cream, because you can never have too much garlic in your life. YUM
Dianne
Glad I could help remind you! 🙂
Nicole Dawson
Oh my goodness! That garlic sauce sounds amazing!
Linda @ Veganosity
These look so good! I adore roasted garlic and those potatoes with the cream sauce, yum, yum, yum!
Ginny McMeans
It not only sounds good it looks pretty!
Jenn
OMG, that garlic cream sauce looks to die for! And of course, who doesn't love roasted potatoes?! This looks so good!
Dianne
Thank you, Nicole!
Dianne
Thank you, Linda!
Dianne
Thank you, Ginny!
Dianne
Thank you, Jenn!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
I adore smashed potatoes! They go so crispy and sweet. I can only imagine how good they are with that garlic sauce!
Dianne
Thanks, Mel!
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
Yum! I love smashing potatoes (especially if I'm in a bad mood lol).
That garlic sauce looks amazing! 🙂
Dianne
Thank you!
Melissa @ Vegan Huggs
Omg! These look incredibly delicious! I love anything potato. I've never had them smashed like this before. I have to give it a try. That roasted garlic cream sauce looks heavenly ! 🙂
Dianne
Thank you, Melissa! I hope you like them!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
Yum! Potatoes and garlic are BFFs.
Dianne
They are!
Vegan Heaven
Wow! The Sauce looks amazing. I'm so hungry right now. 🙂
Dianne
Thank you!