Spice up your favorite side dish with a delicious pour of tempered spices in ghee over classic buttery and fluffy mashed potatoes! These Tadka Mashed Potatoes are topped with an Indian twist of tempered aromatics and spices to add a punch of flavor. Serve 'em up as a side dish for a weeknight dinner or add them to your Thanksgiving Day spread!
Start by prepping the potatoes. Peel the potatoes with a peeler. Then, cut the potatoes into 1” cubes.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the cubed potatoes in. Cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender.
Fully drain the water from the pot and transfer the potatoes to a mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or a ricer. Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Add the milk, cream, minced garlic, and butter to a saucepan and bring the flame to a low setting. Allow the butter to melt without bringing the mixture to a simmer or boil.
Once the butter has fully melted, pour the mixture into the bowl with the mashed potatoes in three parts. Whisk together the liquids with the potatoes until combined in between each pour so that the potatoes can absorb the liquid. You want the mashed potatoes to stay thick and fluffy, instead of goopy or runny.
Once the potatoes are ready, cover the bowl with a lid or cling wrap to keep it warm.
Prep the scallions and garlic for the tadka. Slice 1-2 scallion stems at an angle. Reserve some scallions for garnish. Then, peel 2-3 large garlic cloves and cut them into thin slivers.
Melt the ghee in a tadka pan. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After a minute or two, they’ll start to sputter and dance in the ghee. Now, add the garlic slivers and scallions. Stir the seeds and aromatics in the hot ghee until the garlic browns into crispy garlic chips. Then, add the Kashmiri chili powder and garam masala. Allow the spices to bloom for 30 seconds to a minute.
Remove the tadka pan from heat. Immediately pour the tadka over the mashed potatoes.
Garnish with the reserved scallions and serve the Tadka Mashed Potatoes warm.
Notes
The order in which you add the spices and aromatics into the hot ghee is extremely important. Don't go rogue here, otherwise you'll have burnt spices.