Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes

I decided to make myself a sit-down dinner while I watched a Chopped marathon on the Food Network Channel tonight, so I made a half-batch of this recipe for mashed purple potatoes from Eating Well.  It was just okay.  I liked my recipe for the herbed purple potato wedges a lot more.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Purple Potatoes
from Eating Well
139 calories/serving

Ingredients:
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

Directions:
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.