Potato Puree

Adapted from Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joël Robuchon by Patricia Wells (William Morrow, 1991).

Serves variable; scale as needed

From Patricia Wells and Joël Robuchon, I learned that potato purée is the star of the meal—not a side. It is what dinner guests talk about, no matter what else is on the plate. This does not replace mashed potatoes, but when you want something extra special, this is the way to go.

When I make mashed potatoes, everything I do is the same except I don’t take the final step of pushing the potatoes through a tamis or strainer.

Equipment You Need
A potato ricer (what I use) or a food mill
An electric hand mixer
A tamis (what I use) or another strainer

I got my tamis at E. Dehillerin in Paris.

I can’t really give you exact amounts—it depends on how many people you are serving.

Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (I usually use Russets because I always have them on hand.)
Heavy cream, heated (Don’t be shy; the potatoes can incorporate a lot of cream.)
Butter
Fine sea salt to taste

Peel your potatoes, and cut them into chunks, halving or quartering them depending on size.

Steam the potatoes until a cake tester pierces them easily. I use a basket steamer. Remove the steamer from the pot. The potatoes will be flaky at this point, not waterlogged. Put them through a potato ricer directly into a bowl.

The next steps are based on feel. Heat some heavy cream in a Pyrex cup in the microwave. Be generous—the potatoes can absorb more than you think. Add butter to the hot cream so it melts. Slowly incorporate the cream and butter into the riced potatoes, and beat with a handheld electric mixer for a long time, until very smooth.

Add fine sea salt to taste. I don’t add much, and I don’t add pepper—black or white. Beat the salt into the potatoes. If you are making mashed potatoes, stop here.

For potato purée, push the mixture through a tamis or sieve into a heatproof bowl. I use a flexible dough scraper to do this.

To reheat, Patricia Wells warms the purée over a double boiler for about 10 minutes. I use the microwave and don’t feel it suffers at all. This also means I can make it ahead the same day I am serving it—no last-minute fiddling.

When finished, potato purée will sort of spread on the plate and have a slightly elastic quality. quality.

A tamis should fit comfortably over the bowl