Spicy, Smoky, Southwestern Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

An aromatic garlic and chile infused Southwest Sonoran style mashed potato and gravy recipe that’s BIG on flavor.

spicy mashed potatoes garnished with BBQ seasoning and flaky salt on festive floral glass plates with a black fork.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Spicy, Smoky Southwestern Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Servings: 10
Because I’ve been known to eat a Thanksgiving meal that consists almost entirely of mashed potatoes and gravy, I replace the cream and some of the butter in the recipe with an aromatic garlic and chile infused broth that I cook the potatoes in, resulting in lighter mashed potatoes that are BIG on flavor. Look for a smoky BBQ seasoning that does not contain sugar.

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 2 boxes, 32-ounces each, vegetable broth or stock.
  • 10 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons dried chopped onion flakes
  • 2 tablespoons New Mexico or ancho (or a combination of the two) red chile powder*

To Finish Potatoes

  • 2 cups broth retained from cooking the potatoes approximately
  • 6 tablespoons butter preferably grass-fed
  • 1 tablespoon diced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon smoky BBQ seasoning such as Stubb’s BBQ Rub
  • 1/2 teaspoon Arizona Habanero Seasoning optional
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Gravy

  • 1 packet of McCormick Peppered Country Gravy Mix
  • 2 cups broth retained from cooking the potatoes
  • 4 sausage patties cooked and crumbled, origin of your choice (turkey, plant-based, pork, etc.)

Instructions

  • Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut each of them into 8-piece chunks, then place the potatoes in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Pour in the vegetable broth or stock, then stir in the minced garlic, dried onion flakes and chile powder. Add enough water to cover the potatoes if they are not completely submerged.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered until the potatoes are very soft when pierced with a fork, about 25-30 minutes.
  • Put a colander inside a large mixing bowl then pour the potatoes and broth into the colander to reserve the broth. Return the potatoes to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to low. Add about two cups of the broth, a half cup at a time along with the butter and smash the potatoes into the broth until you reach the desired consistency (I personally like my mashed potatoes a little chunky). Stir in the diced chipotle, Liquid Smoke, BBQ seasoning, and habanero seasoning (if using). Taste, then season with salt and ground pepper. Add more BBQ seasoning and/or butter if desired.
  • Empty the gravy mix into a small saucepan. Whisk in two cups of the reserved broth, replacing the milk suggested in the packaging directions. Stir in the crumbled sausage, then heat according to the package instructions.
  • Plop a generous portion of the mashed potatoes on a large plate. Make a well in the middle with the serving spoon and fill the hole with gravy. Garnish with flaky salt, freshly ground pepper and a shake of BBQ seasoning.

Notes

*Tip: You can make your own chile powder by breaking a dried chile into pieces and pulsing it in a spice mill until it’s a fine powder (just be sure to remove the stem and seeds first). One large ancho or New Mexico chile makes about a tablespoon of chile powder. Learn more about making your own chile powder in my step-by-step tutorial: Drying & Milling Chiles for Powder.  
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Sonoran, Southwestern
Keyword Southwestern mashed potatoes, spicy mashed potatoes, Thankgiving side dish

This recipe was featured on Eat This Not That: 17 Chefs Share Their Must-Have Thanksgiving Dishes

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