Body Ecology Friendly & Healthy Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Chives

No self-respecting Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a truckload of delicious creamy mashed potatoes. I absolutely love them! It is a special treat for me, as I don’t eat potatoes on a daily, or even a weekly basis. Following a mostly alkaline vegan diet, and being susceptible to candida, I eat them sparingly.
When I do eat potatoes, I always eat red skinned potatoes, the only potatoes allowed on the Body Ecology Diet, an anti-candida immune boosting regime that successfully helped me rid myself of years of overgrowth of yeast. So, for those of you “B.E” folks this recipe is for you!

Instead of using tons of cream and butter, or even vegan butter spread like Earth Balance (which IS fantastic with potatoes by the way) I prefer using a really good quality cold pressed olive oil, which adds not only a delicious flavour, but tons of health fats. To this I add a little bit of vegetable broth for extra flavour. Then you can add in any spices, herbs, and natural flavourings you fancy.

My favourite variety of mashed pototoes will always be garlic. I just can’t get enough. But instead of garlic and olive oil, try adding coconut oil, coconut milk, and shredded coconut for a delicious mix. I also like adding a bit of wasabi or chili flakes for a nice kick!

One important thing to mention about using red skinned potatoes is that they can retain quite a bit of water. This is not desirable for a rich flavoured mashed potato. If you drain and mash straight away, you can get a slushy, watery mashed potato which is not great. To prevent this, I like to drain the potatoes and stir-fry on a low heat to remove the water. Then I slowly add in the oil, garlic, and salt until I get the flavour and consistency I want.

I find the mixture slowly gets creamy without the need to use a potato masher, but you could always use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you prefer. Then I stir through the fresh chopped herbs at the very end before serving; I love chives or continental parsley. I never peel my potatoes either, there is so much goodness in the skin, and I love the rustic look and texture of the mashed skins.

This dish is always a crowd pleaser, and was particularly popular at our Thanksgiving Potluck last weekend, because it is delicious and healthy, and I know I don’t have to coat-check my colon to enjoy it!

What’s YOUR favourite mashed potato blend?