Roasting garlic and thyme in olive oil infuses potatoes with a heady flavor that makes a luxurious addition to these mashed potatoes. Purple potatoes make a delightful lavender mash, but you can use white potatoes if you prefer.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes

Serves 10

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

1 head garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 multi-branch sprigs fresh thyme (about 1/3 ounce)

2 pounds purple potatoes; cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Rub off excess papery skin from garlic head without separating the cloves. Slice the tip off the head, exposing the cloves. Place the garlic in a small baking dish, such as a bread pan. Drizzle with oil and lay thyme sprigs around it. Cover with foil. Roast until very soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Uncover and let cool.

About 15 minutes before the garlic is done, cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water until tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

Return the potatoes to the pot. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into the potatoes. Strain the oil through a fine sieve over the potatoes, pressing on the solids (discard the thyme). Add sour cream, milk, salt and pepper; mash to desired consistency.

Recipe nutrition: Per serving: 139 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 5 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 2 g total sugars; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 142 mg sodium; 416 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (32 percent daily value).

1 Carbohydrate Serving(s)

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 fat

(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)