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Dan Pelosi's Mashed Potatoes Are Cheesy, Garlicky, Herby Heaven

Our friends at KOHLER are known for beautiful, thoughtfully designed products that simplify your your home, including the kitchen. Whether you’re whipping up a winter feast—complete with these dreamy mashed potatoes from Food52 Resident Dan Pelosi—or a quick weeknight meal, the KOHLER Prolific® Workstation Sink and KOHLER Crue® Touchless Faucet make every step of cooking (and cleanup!) a cinch.


If there are mashed potatoes on the dinner table, it is the dish I will instinctively gravitate toward first—letting everyone else dive into the main meat and other sides as I build my plate with a few big scoops of the buttery, creamy spuds. I have made (and enjoyed) many a mashed potato over the years, including Diane Morgan’s classic and Emma Laperruque’s tangy salt-and-vinegar twist. My mashed potato of the moment, however, is a cheesy, garlicky number from none other than Food52 resident and “The Secret Sauce” host Dan Pelosi.

Enter: Parmesan Mashed Potatoes With Crispy Garlic and Herbs. Jam-packed with flavor in every bite, this recipe features crunchy garlic and a fragrant, herb-infused oil that’s mixed in with the mash, as well as used for topping. For extra richness, he mixes sour cream, egg yolks, and a healthy dose of grated Parm into the potato base. “I wanted to make the most crowd-pleasing mashed potatoes possible,” says Dan. (Mission accomplished.) “I added some of my favorite things—herbs, garlic, butter, and olive oil—to make sure that you get a great mix of creamy and crunchy and crispy. It’s kind of a dream come true.”

The potatoes and plus-one are undeniably the heroes of this dish, and equipping your kitchen with a few tools can make prepping every ingredient that much easier. One of Dan’s must-haves for mashed potatoes with that just-right texture is a handheld masher. “I think it makes for a chunkier, but also creamier potato; I don’t like them to be too perfectly whipped,” he explains.

Cleverly designed appliances can also be the difference between a chaotic kitchen and a calm one as you prep and work through each step of the recipe. The stainless-steel KOHLER Prolific® Workstation Sink Dan used to cook up this recipe in our test kitchen doubles as a one-stop-shop workstation for peeling potatoes, rinsing and drying herbs, and draining hot liquids. It’s all thanks to the bamboo cutting board, multipurpose grated racks, colander, and wash bin that fit snugly within the ledges of the sink’s basin (no extra counter space required). “I could almost serve the meal in the sink that’s how much it does,” says Dan. A high-tech faucet, like the KOHLER Crue® Touchless Faucet, makes life easier when it comes to filling up heavy pots of water hands-free. (Bonus: This faucet has a ring spray feature with an optional power boost for faster, more efficient cleanup.)

As much as I’d happily eat these mashed potatoes all on their own for dinner, I realize that for an entertaining moment, I’ll probably need to round out my spread with a few other dishes—and luckily, Dan has a few ideas. “Beyond the obvious of turkey, steak and mashed potatoes is a huge huge favorite of mine,” he says. “You could do a really gorgeous pot roast and serve some mashed potatoes on the side, instead of in the pot roast—that would be amazing.” Another less-expected pairing? Fish. “I think that one thing people don’t realize is that mashed potatoes actually go well with fish, too.” Slow-roasted salmon, grilled whole branzino, or even a crispy-skinned bass would all be perfectly happy served atop these mashed potatoes—a delicious addition to pretty much any meal you make this season.



What are your favorite mashed potato toppings? Tell us in the comments below!

Elevate your kitchen set-up with sleek, smart appliances from our partner KOHLER—like the KOHLER Prolific® Workstation Sink with handy built-in features (hello, cutting board and drying rack) and KOHLER Crue® Touchless Faucet with a powerful pull-down sprayhead. To discover more of what KOHLER products can do, check out their website here.

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