 | ||
| salt, red bliss potato, unsalted butter, whole milk |
I love mashed potatoes.
The most famous mashed potatoes are those of the famed French chef Joel Robuchon. His recipe is 2 parts taters to 1 part butter made smooth with a smidgen of milk. His are mashed potatoes to enjoy in moderation. I had the famous taters at Atelier in Las Vegas recently and while they were decadent and luscious I think we can easily replicate a similar experience with a lighter hand. Slightly lighter. Everything in moderation people…
Robuchon also calls for unpeeled potatoes to keep the potatoes from saturating water during the cooking. The only problem with that is that you then have to peel hot potatoes and that’s kind a nuisance. Hell, there’s a kids game surrounding the fact that no one wants to hold a hot potato. Chef, you listening? Maybe the hot potato song doesn’t translate. I will sing “Pommes de terre chaud…” next time in France and see if I get understanding stares or not.
Serves 4 abundantly
2 pounds smaller potatoes, peeled and cut in half. I love Red Bliss and Yukon Gold
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 pound unsalted, cold
½ cup whole milk, maybe a touch more if the potatoes are starchy
Cover the potatoes with cold water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and add one teaspoon of the salt. Cook until they are tender but don’t overcook them. Drain the potatoes and place them through a ricer. Mashing in a mixer is a no no. Electric mixer even more so. Ricers rock. They look like really big garlic presses. That’ll get the gluten going in the potatoes and give you that gummy texture we seek to avoid.
So you have pressed the potatoes through the ricer and because you cooked them until perfectly tender you have a beautiful fluffy mass of riced potatoes. Add the cold butter and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Add the warm milk and season to taste with the remaining salt. Serve immediately.
Posts
