Mashed Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic and Chives (2024)

They’re unique but I’m betting these Mashed Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic and Chives will become your new favorite too, they are amazing!

The first time I made these Mashed Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic and Chives it was out of curiosity. I’ve been a loyal reader of Bon Appetit magazine for over 30 years and they’ve seldom (if ever) steered me wrong but it seemed a strange combination of ingredients for mashed potatoes.

I love lemon enough though to give them a try. After completing the dish and of course taking a small taste, I had to put the dish under lock and key so that I wouldn’t finish off the bowl before dinner. Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but just barely. Just one more little bite please?

The lemon is obvious but not overly so…and mixed with garlic, green onion and buttermilk it makes for an outstanding side dish. I’ve made these for Thanksgiving on several occasions but realized a couple of years ago that these Mashed Potatoes with Lemon, Garlic and Chives are really perfect for spring.

Now our holiday table at Easter would not be the same without them. A prettier potato side dish can not be found!

When my kids were growing up; I seldom made mashed potatoes. Not because I didn’t love them but because the mashed potatoes for generations meant a completely smooth product seasoned simply with butter, milk, salt and pepper.

To get that smooth result, it meant a certain type of potato (OK, I can do that) and the dreaded peeling of the potatoes. I simply hated that job; I blame single parenting and the time elements of some things that turned me off but the truth is I also hate those mundane repetitious chores. Ask me about unloading the dishwasher. 🙂

What changed? The first time I heard about ‘smashed potatoes.’ And even better, leaving skins on! OK, I can get onboard with this for sure…and I have. Whether warm mashed potatoes or chilled potato salad, those skins stay on. I like using either Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes; both have a nice texture and a thin skin…perfect in either type of recipe.

These have a relatively short ingredient list; nothing too out of the ordinary, I think items most have in their pantry or fridge already (ingredients and full printable recipe at bottom of page):

• 1/4 cup buttermilk (I never have real buttermilk; I keep a powdered form on hand or I add 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to milk)
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/2 cup chopped chives or scallions (green onion)
• 2 pounds red potatoes, cut in half (do not peel)
• Chopped chives or green onion and lemon zest for garnish

In keeping with that habit of mine, I’ve made a lot of changes to the original recipe but nothing far from the original intent. I used red potatoes since I prefer a sort of chunky, skin on type of mashed potato (the smashed) and think the red skin is prettier. The recipe also calls for chives but I’ve often substituted scallions since they are always in my fridge; either one is fine.

I did up the garlic from the original recipe too. Interesting enough when I asked friends on Facebook if they had one ingredient that they would just out of hand double in a recipe, garlic was often seen on that list.

Along with vanilla, it ranks equally in my top two; the more the better…so more garlic it was. I felt better knowing my personal proclivity to multiple some ingredients was way more widespread than I had imagined! The result is absolutely amazing but don’t take my word for it…seriously make them!

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