Garlic Truffle Mashed Potatoes

This is my first of many recipes I will be sharing with you guys!  I chose this one to share first because it is one of my favorites, & probably the dish all my friends & family like most out of all the food I have cooked for them.  I'm pretty sure all of you know how to cook mashed potatoes from scratch.  This recipe is no different.  It is very simple, & extremely tasty.  The hardest part about this dish is probably the prep work in mincing the fresh garlic by hand (easier if you use a food processor, but inconsistent chunks) or the mashing of the potatoes after they have been boiled.  This is also a pretty inexpensive dish, after the first time.  The truffle oil is the most expensive part of the dish since truffles are probably the most expensive ingredient in the world at about $999.99/lb.  But you can get a very decent truffle oil at a Wegmans or Whole Foods.  The one I bought was about $25 for the bottle.  Good thing is it should last a long time since you only need a couple of drops at a time.  So without further ado here is the recipe for my Garlic Truffle Mashed Potatoes (recipe cooks for roughly 5-6 people):

MELI - May 30th, 2011

Meli Patisserie & Bistro, located at 1636 Thames Street in Fells Point, was opened in 2009 as part of Kali's Restaurant group (Kali's Court, Mezze, Meli, & Adela).  It was named BEST NEW RESTAURANT 2011 - BALTIMORE MAGAZINE, and TOP 10 of BALTIMORE'S 67 BEST RESTAURANTS 2011 - BALTIMORE MAGAZINE.  It is advertised as an American Bistro, although the word MELI is Greek for honey.  Per the website, honey is used in almost all of the dishes to add a little sweetness to the food as well as some of the bar's drinks.  The executive chef, Rashad Edwards, is a born & raised Baltimorian who attained his Culinary Degree at the Baltimore International College in downtown Baltimore.  His bio on the website says he has been in the field for about 10 years & with Kali's Restaurant Group for the past 6 years.