Use a sharp knife to slice off the tops of each head of garlic – enough so that you can see the tips of the actual garlic cloves.  Place each head on a sheet of foil and drizzle a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil over each – use your finger to make sure the oil gets into the cloves.  Wrap each head tightly in the foil and roast at 400 for 30 to 40 minutes until the cloves feel soft.  When they’re cool enough to touch, the cloves should easily squeeze out – these can be done the day before and refrigerated.

Put all of the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Add a generous amount of salt – 1 or 2 teaspoons – and bring the pot to a boil.  Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.  When the potatoes are done, drain them well, return them to the pot and add in the warm cream, soft butter, roasted garlic, salt and pepper.  Mash and stir until you have a consistency that you’d like – texture is the idea when leaving the skins on, but your potatoes can still be pretty smooth – and then either serve them up straight away or scoop them into a large casserole dish so that they can be gently reheated when you need them.  If you’re going the made-ahead casserole route – dot the potatoes with extra butter before reheating to crisp up the top.  These were amazing with Lamb Chops with Mint Salsa Verde!