Ingredients

• 6 medium sized russet or gold potatoes (about three pounds)

• 1 cup whole milk

• 4 ounces cream cheese

• 4 Tbsp butter

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 sprigs thyme

• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Peel and dice potatoes into large chunks, placing the chunks in water as you cut them to prevent browning. You can do this ahead of time and leave the potatoes in the fridge overnight.

2. Rinse the potatoes and put into a pot. Barely cover the potatoes with cold water and a tablespoon of salt and put the pot on medium high heat. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer.

3. Meanwhile, add the cream cheese, milk, butter, smashed garlic cloves, and thyme to a glass bowl that fits over the top of a pot. Put a few inches of water to the pot, bring to a simmer, and place the bowl on top. Don't allow the water to touch the bowl, and continuously stir the mixture, but don't let it boil.

4. Once the potatoes are cooked and you can cleanly pierce them with a fork, about 10-15 minutes, strain and rinse. Return the potatoes to the pot and allow some of the water to cook out of the potatoes.

5. While the potatoes are hot, push the potatoes through a sieve. Scrape the outside of the sieve.

6. Add the warmed milk and cream cheese mixture to the potatoes, and use a spatula to stir them. DON'T overwork the potatoes. In fact, try not to even look at them too hard, because the more you stir, the gummier they can be.