Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

I recently received a message from my former classmate and fellow foodie, Kathleen. She was raving about the potatoes she made using olive oil instead of butter and cream. I thought this sounded like a FABULOUS idea especially for those who like mashed potatoes, but maybe can't do dairy. This was the email she sent me:

This is one of those dishes that I totally eyeball and NEVER MEASURE any of the ingredients. Ok, so all I do is boil my potatoes like you do for mashed potatoes. I prefer red potatoes. They hold together nicely, but give you a little "mash", too. Drain the potatoes once they're tender, add some olive oil (start with about 1/4 cup per enough potatoes to serve four or five people), add some dried thyme or herbes de provence (both are good, no worries if you don't have herbes de provence in the cupboard), garlic salt and fresh cracked pepper. Gently mix it all together. You don't want it "mashed", you want it mixed together well with some of it mashed to give you a lovely texture and consistency that is like a slight mash. If it needs some more oil to moisten it up a little, then add some more. The potatoes tend to absorb the oil a bit. But the flavor is superb!
Enjoy!!!

Sounds fabulous, right? But when I made them, I added a little minced garlic and freshly cracked black pepper instead of the herbs. I also added some chicken broth to moisten the potatoes instead of adding extra oil. I also completely mashed mine by putting it through a potato ricer. (which is perfect when you don't want any lumps in your potatoes!).
I'll definitely be making these again!
Thanx Kath!!


 Btw, I know this isn't outlined as a recipe with an ingredient list and cooking directions, but it seems pretty straight forward to me. Clearly, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me!