MASHED POTATOES WITH ROAST VEGETABLES
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Comfort & joy
What’s more comforting than tender roast vegetables? How about tender roast vegetables floating on a cloud of garlicky mashed potatoes?
This healthy and delicious dish is entirely vegan, and definitely fits the bill as serious comfort food!
Gather your ingredients
As always, I recommend that you gather up everything you’ll need before you start cooking. For this recipe, you can use whatever roast vegetables you like or have on hand! Green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mushrooms – you name it! The method stays the same!
Prep the tomatoes
It may seem odd to include canned tomatoes in a vegetable roast – but trust me. If handles correctly, these whole San Marzano tomatoes will roast down to a savory, tender and slightly jammy treat.
To get them ready to roast, we want to remove some liquid. I do this by pouring the tomatoes into a strainer to drain (don’t rinse!). One at a time, just pick up the tomato in your hand and squeeze very gently so that some of the liquid inside pours out the bottom.
Most of the tomatoes have a natural opening or have broken down a bit – but if you get one that is intact and does not want to drain, just pinch the bottom with your fingers or poke a little hole to get you started.
Lay the drained tomatoes on a double-layer of paper towels to drain and dry out a bit more as you prep the other ingredients.
Cut the carrots into 1″ pieces, and the asparagus into 2″-3″ pieces.
Cut the onion into 8 pieces. Smash the head of garlic and separate all of the cloves. Pull any loose skins off, but do not remove the skin – you want them to roast inside their skins.
Combine the salt, pepper & spices in a small bowl. You will be adding these all at the same time and it is much easier to have them pre-measured.
In a big bowl, toss the carrots, onions, asparagus, and garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of oil, and then sprinkle with the salt & herb mixture. Toss everything gently to coat evenly.
Pour everything out onto a lines sheet pan and spread things out as much as you can.
Nestle the tomatoes in among the vegetables. We haven’t seasoned the tomatoes yet, so hit each one with a little drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a turn or two of black pepper. Pop the sheet pan into the oven. It will take around 40-45 minutes to roast completely. Don’t be afraid to let things get nice and roasted!
Potato time!
While the vegetables are roasting, it’s time to get your potatoes ready to mash! I recommend using yukon gold potatoes for mashed potatoes. The texture is much creamier. Save the russets for fries & baked potatoes.
No need to peel the potatoes unless you are averse to having skins. They are very tender and add great texture. Just cut the potatoes into 1″ pieces and place them in a heavy pot.
Cold start!
Cover the potatoes with cool water and place the pot over medium-high heat. Allowing the potatoes to start in cool water helps the insides cook in the same time as the outsides.
Once the water boils, turn the heat down so that it is at a gentle boil. The potatoes should cook in 12-15 minutes from the time the water boils. After 7-8 minutes, I just check every couple minutes by poking a fork through a piece of potato. If it is soft all the way through, they are ready to mash!
Drain the potatoes and then place them back into the pot and cover it to keep them warm while the vegetables finish roasting.
After the roasting’s done
When the vegetables finish roasting, remove the pan from the oven. Use tong sor a spoon to remove ALL of the garlic cloves. Toss them in a bowl.
Squeeze each garlic clove so that the soft, roasted center squeezes out into the bowl. Discard the skins, or save them for making stock or garlic butter!
Add a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable stock top the garlic, and use a fork to mash it up completely.
Add the garlic mixture, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the chopped parsley to the potatoes, and use a masher to mash or ‘smash’ the potatoes to the consistency you like. We like ours a bit more on the ‘smashed’ side, so I always leave them pretty chunky! You do you!
Taste the potatoes and adjust for salt & pepper. If the potatoes are too dry, add a little oil, water or broth.
Almost there!
Transfer the potatoes to a large serving dish and spoon the vegetables over the top, taking care not to mash up the tomatoes
If you like, this is a great time to add a drizzle of good olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar. In the pictures, you can see that I added a mushroom red wine reduction – I’ll be posting that recipe soon and I’ll link to it here when its ready.
You don’t have to make an extra sauce though – just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar will be great. These mashed potatoes with roast vegetables are also plenty delicious on their own!
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