Hot for Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream

So I promised you guys some healthy comfort food, right?

This is so warming and creamy, it’s like a fluffy blanket for your soul! 🙂

This recipe is based on a dish made by one of my favorite vegan comfort food chefs, Lauren Toyota of Hot for Food. Her meals are rich and full of flavor and I am constantly inspired by her.

I’m using red potatoes in this recipe cuz didja know, they aren’t nightshades?

Nightshades are certain veggies (like eggplants, tomatoes, peppers and white potatoes) which contain alkaloids that *some* people are sensitive to. In people with certain illnesses, this can cause issues and nightshades need to be avoided.

I tend not to cook with them, so my recipes can be enjoyed by people who are on a health adventure like me!

But guess what? Although white potatoes are nightshades, red potatoes are not, so we’re all good!

Sweet, huh?

. . . . . . . . .

Hot for Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Recipe

The roasted garlic cashew cream:

Note: If pressed for time, you can skip the roasting and swap 4 raw garlic cloves for the huge, roasted bulb. 

• 1 huge garlic bulb (roasted with 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil + pinch sea salt)
• 1 cup raw cashews, whole (soaked 20 min in hot water)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, to taste

The smashed potatoes themselves:

• 8 smallish red potatoes, halved lengthwise or 1 lb baby red potatoes, whole (approx 20 tiny potatoes)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tbp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves + extra sprigs for garnish
• 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425.

Remove outer paper and trim top of garlic bulb, keeping inner paper on and making sure top of each clove is cut off and exposed. Drizzle with tsp olive oil and pinch salt and wrap in foil. Bake til soft and golden brown, about 30 to 40 min. Squeeze foil package to test whether it’s soft and done. Let cool then squeeze out soft cloves, discarding paper.

Rinse and drain soaked cashews then add to roasted garlic cloves in high speed blender with water, coconut oil and kosher salt. Blend til ultra smooth and creamy, about 2 min.

Toss potatoes in 1 tbsp olive oil, fresh rosemary, thyme and kosher salt. Spread out on parchment paper and bake in oven 20 min. Remove from oven and press down on potatoes with potato masher or fork to smash open skin. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and top with whole thyme sprigs. Bake again til thyme is crisp, about 10 min.

Top with dollops of roasted garlic cashew cream and enjoy warm.

NOTE: I used red and purple potatoes but recommend only the red ones cuz the purple guys cooked slower and were still somewhat hard when the red ones were done. Pretty tho! 😉