Potato Puree and Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joël Robuchon (William Morrow, 1991) and The Complete Robuchon: French Home Cooking for the Way We Live Now by Joël Robuchon (Knopf, 2008)

From these books I learned that potato purée is the star of the meal—not a side. It’s what dinner guests talk about, no matter what else is on the plate. These do not replace mashed potatoes, but when you want something extra special, this is the way to go.

When I do 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.)

Potato Purée
From Patricia Wells and Joël Robuchon

Serves variable; scale as needed

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 Russet because I always have them on hand.)
Heavy cream, heated (Don’t be shy; the potatoes can incorporate a lot of cream.)
Butter
Sea salt to taste

Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks (halve or quarter them, depending on size).

Steam the potatoes (I use a basket steamer) until a cake tester pierces them easily. Remove the steamer from the pot—the potatoes will be flaky at this point, not waterlogged. Then 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’d 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’re 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 them over a double boiler for about 10 minutes. I use the microwave and don’t feel they suffer at all. This also means I can make them ahead the same day I’m serving them—no last-minute fiddling.

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

A tamis should fit comfortably over the bowl