Press the garlic cloves and slice the green onion into small pieces.
Peel 5 large potatoes and drop them into a pot of cold water.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a nice simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft, I use a fork to test the largest potato.
Drain the potatoes! Remove all of the water, and pop them back into your pot. I break them up into quarters at this point.
Combine the butter and mash with an electric potato masher or hand masher.
Add the cream cheese and mix well with masher.
Add the milk bit by bit.
Mix in the salt, pepper, and garlic until well combined. The mashed potatoes are already looking super creamy.
Lastly, mix in the chopped green onion.
Garnish with with fresh green onion and top with butter.
Recipe Notes
Boil Your Potatoes in Large Pieces:If you cut them small, it gives water more of an opportunity to make its way inside the potatoes. More water means more liquid and less flavor in the final product.Keep Your Potatoes HotIf you want a truly creamy taste and texture, you can’t let the potatoes cool before mashing—you want to start getting busy with them as soon as possible after they've been boiled and drained.Add Fat FirstYou need to add fat (in this case, the butter) to potatoes before adding any liquid. Doing so makes sure the texture of the potato remains firm before being softened by all that cream.Taste ConstantlyYou're going to need to use plenty of salt — starchy and fatty foods need a lot of it to really sing, so make it rainDon’t Add Your Liquid All at OnceYour potatoes won’t be able to absorb all of that liquid at once. Working in smaller pours helps them soak up all that creaminess, avoiding liquid-y mashed potatoes.Mixing fresh ingredientsUse a spatula or spoon to mix in the garlic and green onion rather than the potato masher.