Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
If you’ve made my Julia Child-inspired 30-clove garlic mashed potatoes, you already know how good they are. These brown butter mashed potatoes take them one step further, with a nutty brown butter sage sauce and a pile of crispy fried sage on top. It’s the same silky, creamy mashed potatoes recipe, dressed up for Thanksgiving or any night you want your side dish to steal the show.
Don’t let 30 cloves scare you. Cooked low and slow in butter, the garlic turns soft, sweet and mellow, with none of the harsh bite. If you love roasted garlic mashed potatoes, you get that same deep, sweet garlic flavor here, without turning on the oven. Trust me, it’s the best part.
Watch how I peel 30 cloves of garlic fast:
Peeling 30 cloves sounds like a lot, but the bowl-shaking trick makes it quick. Want to skip it completely? Pre-peeled cloves work great too.
What you’ll need:
- Russet potatoes
- 2 heads of garlic (about 30 cloves)
- Unsalted butter (dairy or vegan)
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Sea salt and white pepper
- Fresh sage leaves
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
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Vegan butter or real butter for the brown butter?
Both work, so it’s up to you.
- Vegan butter keeps the whole recipe vegan. Most plant-based butters don’t have milk solids, so they won’t get those toasty brown flecks. Instead, watch for a deeper golden color and a nutty smell.
- Real butter does a better job of browning. The milk solids toast into little golden-brown bits, and that’s where all the nutty, caramel-y flavor comes from.
How to make the brown butter sage sauce:
A brown butter sauce is just butter cooked until the milk solids toast and turn nutty. Add sage and you’ve got a brown butter and sage sauce in a few minutes. Use a light-colored skillet so you can see the color change, then pick when to add the sage:
- Add it sooner for more sage flavor. Toss the leaves in while the butter is still foaming, before it browns. The sage infuses the butter as it cooks, so every drizzle tastes like sage.
- Add it at the end for the crispiest, greenest leaves. Fry them in the finished brown butter just until crisp.
Either way, keep an eye on the pan. Brown butter goes from perfect to burnt fast, and so does sage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these mashed potatoes vegan? Yes! Use plant-based butter in the mashed potatoes and in the topping. The topping won’t brown as deeply as dairy butter, but it’s still delicious.
What are the best potatoes for mashing? I use russets. They’re starchy, so they mash up light and fluffy and soak up all that garlic sauce. Yukon Golds work too, but they’ll be a little denser and more buttery.
How long do you boil potatoes for mashed potatoes? Quartered russets take about 15 to 20 minutes once the water comes to a simmer. They’re ready when a fork slides in with no resistance.
How do I thicken mashed potatoes? If your potatoes come out too loose, stir them over low heat for a few minutes so some of the moisture cooks off. Next time, fold in the garlic sauce a little at a time until you get the texture you like. The flour in the sauce already gives it some body, so you shouldn’t need much more.
Should you use melted butter for mashed potatoes? Yes. Warm, melted butter mixes in more evenly than cold butter and won’t cool the potatoes down. In this recipe, the butter melts with the garlic into a silky sauce, so it folds right in.
Are mashed potatoes gluten free? Plain mashed potatoes usually are, but this recipe isn’t, because the garlic sauce is thickened with all-purpose flour. To make it gluten-free, swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
How do I reheat mashed potatoes? Warm them gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of soy milk, stirring often, until they’re hot and creamy again. Make the brown butter and crispy sage fresh right before serving.
Can you freeze mashed potatoes? Yes. Freeze the mashed potatoes in an airtight container. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove with a splash of soy milk. Skip freezing the sage, because it won’t stay crispy.
If you like this recipe
Try my original Julia Child’s iconic garlic mashed potatoes, or find more sides like my Tini Inspired Mac and Cheese or my Creamy Green Bean Casserole.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Ingredients
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 1 heads Garlic, about 30 cloves
- 2 ½ lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled and quartered
- ½ cup Butter, vegan or dairy
- 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk, can sub for any other milk
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- pinch White Pepper
Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- 3 tbsp Butter, dairy browns best; use plant-based to keep it vegan
- 10-12 Fresh Sage Leaves
- Flaky Sea Salt, for finishing
Instructions
- Peel the garlic. Separate the garlic cloves and place them in a large mixing bowl. Either buy pre-peeled cloves, or check the blog post for a video on how I peel garlic cloves faster.
- Cook the potatoes. Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Soften the garlic. Meanwhile, combine the peeled garlic cloves and ½ cup butter in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is very soft and tender. Avoid browning the garlic.
- Prepare the garlic sauce. Stir the flour into the garlic and butter and cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and gradually add the soy milk, salt, and white pepper. Blend until completely smooth using a blender. Return to the saucepan and simmer gently for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Mash the potatoes. Drain the potatoes thoroughly, then pass them through a potato ricer into the empty pot. Pour in the garlic sauce and gently fold together until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Keep warm while preparing the topping.
- Brown the butter. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Allow the butter to melt and foam, swirling the pan occasionally. For more sage flavor in the butter, add the sage leaves now, while the butter is foaming. Continue cooking until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter develops a rich, nutty aroma. Reduce the heat to low.
- Fry the sage. If you haven't added the sage yet, add the leaves to the brown butter and fry for about 30–60 seconds, until crisp. Remove the skillet from the heat and immediately transfer the sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate. Be careful not to burn the butter or sage.
- Assemble and serve. Spoon the mashed potatoes into a shallow serving bowl and create swirls using the back of a spoon. Drizzle the warm brown butter over the potatoes, allowing it to settle into the crevices. Arrange the crispy sage leaves on top, crumbling a few for extra sage flavor throughout. Finish with flaky sea salt and serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- Butter: For a vegan version, use plant-based butter in the mashed potatoes and the sauce. Dairy butter browns best, because most plant-based butters don’t have the milk solids that turn golden brown. Vegan butter will turn a deeper golden color and smell nutty, but it won’t get those brown flecks.
- Sage timing: Adding the sage while the butter is still foaming infuses more sage flavor into the brown butter. Adding it at the end gives you the brightest, crispiest leaves.
- Garlic: The bowl-shaking method works best with dry garlic cloves. Particularly fresh or tightly attached skins may require additional shaking or peeling by hand.
- Texture: A potato ricer creates the fluffiest, smoothest mashed potatoes. Avoid using a blender or food processor on the cooked potatoes, which can make them gummy.
- Gluten-free: This recipe contains flour. For a gluten-free version, swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Make ahead: The mashed potatoes can be prepared a day in advance and gently reheated with a splash of soy milk. Prepare the brown butter sage sauce and crispy sage just before serving for the best flavor and texture.