Rosemary Potato Rolls

Name: Rosemary Potato Rolls
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1-1/8 teaspoon (half a packet or 4 grams) yeast; 1/4 cup warm water; 1/2 cup milk; 3 ounces butter or shortening; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 1/2 cup mashed potatoes (I used instant); 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

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These Rosemary Potato Rolls are my favorite for a special occasion. They're actually pretty easy to make and totally worth a little bit of effort for the extraordinary flavor. Plus fresh rosemary brings its fragrant, healing energy. It's gonna be awesome.

Even though it can be stressful, I absolutely love making holiday dinners. The kitchen is my sanctuary, my sacred space. I've loved it for years, and now that I've started practicing witchcraft, I understand why this hub of creation is so special. While you certainly can add extra layers of intention and ritual to your cooking, you absolutely don't need to. You're making magic already.

Do you ever think about your ancient ancestors gathered around a simple hearth or clay oven discovering new ways to prepare food? From roasting meats and vegetables to baking simple breads, it's the cooking of food that has made it possible for civilization to expand. Who's idea was it to mill wheat? To make steel knives for chopping? To try those mushrooms that might kill you or figure out that a certain plant is poisonous when raw but not when cooked? There had to be a little bit of magic happening somewhere.

Rosemary Potato Rolls with rosemary and butter

What makes Rosemary Potato Rolls so awesome?

These Rosemary Potato Rolls are my absolute favorite for the holidays, and I make them every year either for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Sometimes both. They're soft and full of flavor from the fresh rosemary running throughout. I also love that they're pull-apart rolls, so they're easy to eat without having to try to cut them at the table with your butter knife.

This recipe is half of the original, but it still makes a dozen rolls which is way too many for just the two of us. I never complain, though, because eating leftover rosemary potato rolls with lots of salted butter is my favorite day after the holidays tradition. They're obviously good for sopping up gravy, etc., but they're so good on their own as well.

Rosemary Potato Rolls with rosemary sprig

Magical properties of rosemary

Rosemary is probably my favorite herb and absolutely essential for anyone who wants to work with herbs in their craft. Beyond its own properties, it can also be substituted for any herb in a spell. I recommend always keeping some dried rosemary on hand along with your white candles and clear quartz.

In the Victorian language of flowers , rosemary was known for remembrance, and this herb is associated with improving your memory. Rosemary is associated with the Sun, the element of fire, and the goddess Brighid. It's magical properties include protection, love, lust, mental powers, exorcism, purification, healing, and sleep. (Source: Kitchen Witchcraft: Garden Magic by Rachel Patterson)

How to make Rosemary Potato Rolls

Making these rosemary potato rolls does require a bit of time and attention to get things started, but we're going to mix everything in the stand mixer if we have one. Don't sweat it. First we'll need to wake up our yeast and warm up some milk. I tend to just do the milk in the microwave most of the time.

Then we'll start adding ingredients to the mixer. I add the butter, sugar, and salt, then just keep it running while you stir in the warm milk and some of the flour. Then follow that up with the foamy yeast mixture, a beaten egg, your mashed potato, and the chopped rosemary. Make sure everything is well combined before you start adding in the rest of the flour. I knead the dough in the mixer by turning up the speed a little bit. If the dough is too sticky, you can always sprinkle in a bit more flour.

Once the dough is nice and smooth, let it rise in the bowl for about 45 minutes. Then pinch out balls of dough about the size of a walnut, add three or four to each cup of your muffin pan. Then let the dough rise again and bake until your house smells like heaven and the rolls are golden brown.

FAQ

What kind of mashed potato should I use?

I have made this with both instant mashed potatoes cooked according to the packet and an actual mashed potato. The results are the same. Or I guess I should caveat that I couldn't tell the difference. I wouldn't use leftover mashed potatoes loaded up with butter, cream, and seasonings, though, as that will change the fat content and flavor profile.

Sometimes you want something a little extra special at the holidays. These Rosemary Potato Rolls will ensure that everyone has fond memories of your Yule feast.

Looking for more awesome dinner roll recipes? Try these classic Potato Rolls or some Sweet Potato Rolls.

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Author: Renee Rendall
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 15
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 15 1x
Category: Bread
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

1-⅛ teaspoon (half a packet or 4 grams) yeast
¼ cup warm water
½ cup milk
3 ounces butter or shortening
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup mashed potatoes (I used instant)
2-½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

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Instructions

Put the yeast and warm water in a small bowl and give it a gentle stir. Set it aside for about five minutes to wake up your yeast. It should turn foamy. If not, your yeast might be dead.
Pour the milk into a small sauce pan and heat it until it just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. You could also just microwave it for about 2 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, and salt. Add the warm milk and stir in a half cup of flour. Next, add the yeast mixture and the beaten egg. Add the potatoes and rosemary and stir until smooth.
Finally, mix in the remaining two cups of flour until the dough comes together.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth. This only took me a couple of minutes. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle on a bit of flour. You could also knead it in your stand mixer with the dough hook.
Spray a large bowl with oil, and place the dough inside. Lightly cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place the bowl in a warm area to rise for about 45 minutes.
Once the dough is risen, shape your rolls. Pinch off bits of dough about a tablespoon at a time. Roll the dough into balls and place three or four balls into each lightly oiled cup of a muffin tin. It should make about twelve rolls.
Lightly cover the muffin tin with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and bake rolls for about 15 minutes.
Serve warm.