Wild Garlic Mashed Potatoes with the Thermomix® is our go-to side dish the moment the first wild garlic shoots appear in spring. We have been making this recipe at least twice a week during wild garlic season for years and have settled on a clear order of steps: wild garlic and Mozzarella are chopped before the cooking begins and set aside. Only then do the potatoes go in. Why? Because fresh wild garlic loses its aroma when exposed to heat and Mozzarella turns stringy at 100°C. Both go in right at the end, in reverse direction at speed 4 for exactly 5 seconds. That keeps the wild garlic green and fragrant, and the cheese creamy rather than fibrous.
Most mashed potato recipes would cook the wild garlic directly with the potatoes. That is the main mistake. Wild garlic contains volatile sulphur compounds that evaporate at temperatures above 60°C. After 25 minutes at 100°C, what remains is a dull cabbage flavour instead of fresh garlic aroma. That is why we chop the wild garlic raw at speed 6 for 10 seconds and only add it after blending the potato mixture. The residual warmth of the potatoes is enough to release the aroma but not enough to destroy it.
Wild Garlic Mashed Potatoes with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 9 ✓
- 120 g wild garlic
- 150 g Mozzarella
- 700 g floury potatoes
- 100 g double cream
- 100 g milk
- 50 g butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
Instructions 0 / 4
-
1
Chop the wild garlic.
Wash and shake dry the wild garlic, place in the mixing bowl and chop using the spatula for 10 sec / speed 6.
-
2
Chop the Mozzarella.
Cut the Mozzarella into pieces, add to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 sec / speed 5 and set aside.
-
3
Cook and mash the potatoes.
Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces and add to the mixing bowl together with the double cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg, cook for 25 min / 100°C / speed 2 then blend by increasing gradually to speed 8.
-
4
Serve.
Add the wild garlic and Mozzarella, combine for 5 sec / reverse direction / speed 4 and serve.
Tip: This mash works brilliantly as a side dish with grilled or pan-fried meat or fish.
Nutrition per serving
Why floury potatoes are non-negotiable
When it comes to mashed potatoes there is no room for compromise: floury potatoes or the mash will not be creamy. Waxy varieties have too much structure and too little starch. Even after 25 minutes at speed 2 and 100°C they stay granular. Floury varieties, on the other hand, break down naturally during cooking, the starch swells and binds with milk and double cream into a smooth, homogeneous mass. We use 700 g of potatoes to 100 g of double cream and 100 g of milk. This is the ratio from the Thermomix® basic cookbook and works with any floury variety.
The Mozzarella question: why not cook it in directly
Mozzarella is a fresh cheese with a high water content and a low melting point. At 100°C in the mixing bowl it immediately clumps into tough strings that cannot be distributed evenly. That is why we chop the 150 g of Mozzarella before cooking at speed 5 for 5 seconds and set it aside. After blending the potato mixture we add it together with the wild garlic. The 5 seconds in reverse direction at speed 4 are enough to distribute the cheese evenly without it melting into strings. The result is a creamy mash with small pieces of cheese that melt on the tongue when you eat it.
Reverse direction instead of normal direction when folding in
The final step is decisive for the texture: wild garlic and Mozzarella are folded in at reverse direction, speed 4, for 5 seconds. Reverse direction means the blades rotate against their cutting direction and only mix the ingredients rather than chopping them further. In normal direction the wild garlic would be reduced to a paste and the Mozzarella to strings. With reverse direction both components remain visible and give the mash texture. Five seconds is the right window: shorter and the distribution is uneven, longer and the potato mixture becomes too smooth.
Nutmeg and white pepper as the flavour base
Mashed potato without nutmeg tastes flat. The essential oils in nutmeg (myristicin and elemicin) react with the starch in the potatoes and create a warm, slightly sweet note that lifts the natural flavour of the potatoes. We use a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, nothing more. Too much makes the mash bitter. White pepper is the second essential component: it has less heat than black pepper but an earthier aroma that suits potatoes better. Half a teaspoon to 700 g of potatoes is the right ratio.
Wild garlic season: March to May, after that it turns bitter
Wild garlic has a very short season, from late March to early May. During this time the recipe is on our table almost every day. After flowering in late May, wild garlic becomes fibrous and bitter as the volatile oils are overtaken by bitter compounds. We only buy wild garlic fresh from the weekly market, never from the supermarket. The leaves must be a lush green and smell strongly of garlic. Wilted leaves or brown spots are a sign that the wild garlic has been stored too long and has lost its aroma.
Which meats pair best with this mash
Goes well with: meatballs and beef goulash.
Wild Garlic Mashed Potatoes is a side dish that can stand up to strong flavours. We love it best alongside pan-fried lamb or beef steaks with a good crust. The garlic notes from the wild garlic complement the roasted aroma of the meat. It also works with pan-fried fish, though only with fattier varieties such as salmon or trout. Lean fish like cod gets overpowered by the wild garlic. An alternative is grilled vegetables such as courgette or aubergine, where the wild garlic underlines the smoky note. The basic recipe for classic Thermomix® mashed potatoes without wild garlic is in our mashed potato basic recipe.
If you are looking for more wild garlic recipes, try our wild garlic potato dumplings or the wild garlic pesto. Both recipes follow the same logic: wild garlic is processed raw and only added at the end.
