Garlic Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

Garlic.  Cheddar.  Smashed Potatoes.  Everything about that sounds delicious, right?  I know, I love garlic and cheddar cheese too!  Smashed potatoes are a really easy side dish that I’ve made over and over again, and honestly, I probably haven’t made them the same way twice.  I threw together these easy redskin smashed potatoes with garlic and sharp white cheddar cheese to go with the stuffed chicken breasts I posted yesterday, but they would go well with whatever  you like – chicken, beef, pork, fish, whatever.

As far as side dishes go, I like to make my own whenever possible instead of making something out of a box, because I can control the quality of the ingredients and use flavors that I know I like.  To lighten these up a bit, I used lite sour cream and skim milk.  I made this amount for just Tim and me, and we had some leftovers.  You can easily increase the amounts to make more if your crowd is bigger.  Try them!  They’re really easy and impressive because they’re completely homemade!

Garlic Cheddar Smashed Potatoes

• 4 medium red skin potatoes
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 T butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
• 1 scallion, finely chopped

Cut 4-5 medium red skin potatoes (skins on) into 1 inch chunks.  Put in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil.  Cook until potatoes are tender and drain.  Put hot potatoes back in the pot and add one clove of minced garlic, or grate the garlic with a microplane directly into the hot potatoes.  Add butter and smash with potato smasher until big chunks are broken up and the potatoes are a consistency you like.  Add milk (more or less to desired consistency), sour cream, cheese, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste.