BillK's Garlic Mashed Taters

Description

 * Ingredients for 6 people
 * Disclaimer: I never measure anything so these amounts are approximate at best.
 * When in doubt, use more butter, salt, pepper and garlic!

Ingredients

 * 8 large potatoes (whatever's handy - I can never remember what the good ones are)
 * 1-3 cups skim milk (with a nod to the Surgeon General)
 * 1 stick butter (with a wink to the Surgeon General)
 * ¼ cup sour cream (optional, but a little bit is always nice)
 * salt and fresh ground pepper (lots and lots is key)
 * 1 head garlic
 * 1 bundle fresh dill (optional)

Directions
1) Peel and cube the taters (roughly 1 inch cubes) into a pot of cold water. Bring the taters to a boil and then turn the heat down to a high simmer (much like the sustained heat of two luvers such as N&N!) so they don't boil over. Cook them taters till they're soft but still firm to a fork. If they mush in the pot, that's overcooked, but you should be able to cut them with a fork. The object is to get a firm consistency that can take all the butter and milk and still have a few solid potato lumps to it.

While the taters are boiling:

2) Peel and chop 6-10 cloves (depending on taste - but more is better) of garlic, saute with a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil and lots of fresh ground pepper. Saute only until garlic releases its oil and infuses the butter - garlic slices should just be turning golden brown, not dark brown.

3) Rinse, separate, and chop a handful of dill - maybe 3-4 table spoons when fully chopped.

After cooking
4) Drain off the water and do the mixing in the same pot (don't blanch - no point, the butter and milk will cool things down a bit and you want to serve it hot anyway). Toss in the garlic, the butter, the milk (hold some of the milk in reserve to manage the texture), the S&P, the dill, and the sour cream and go to town with the mixer. Taste frequently and add S&P frequently. Don't over mix - lumps are good and if you work the starch too much, it can get pasty. Let stand on a cool burner until ready to serve (in the meantime, toss a few more butter pats on top). Mix and serve with the largest spoon-like implement you have in the kitchen. The louder the thump on the plate, the more satisfying the heapin' helpin' of garlic mash!

WARNING - the fine print: Although these mashed potatoes are very good for the soul, they are NOT good for the body. Persons on low cholesterol, low sodium, other no fun diets, or generally fearful of sinfully good food should not even examine the list of ingredients for fear of instant heart seizure. Those of us that don't care - start cookin'!