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<\/a><\/div>\nWhat\u2019s your favorite style of mashed potato? When I make mashed potatoes at home, I\u2019m a fan of skin-on (aka, \u201cdirty\u201d mashed potatoes) \u2014 partly because I like the texture, partly because I don\u2019t like peeling. But as for my favorite<\/em> style of mashed potato, there\u2019s no question: fancy-restaurant mashed potatoes. You know what I mean \u2014 the kind that come beside a filet of poached salmon or white asparagus that cost more than your cell phone bill. The super-creamy kind that make you pause mid-bite and say, \u201cHow do they even do this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cButter,\u201d explains chef Matthew Ryle<\/a> in his new cookbook, French Classics<\/a>. \u201cAnd lots of it.\u201d Plus, a few more tricks \u2014\u00a0like baking the potatoes, instead of boiling them \u2014\u00a0to achieve \u201ctruly luxurious, restaurant-quality mash.\u201d Here, Matthew shares his recipe for pommes pur\u00e9e.<\/p>\n Pommes Pur\u00e9e<\/strong> For the dry potato mash<\/i> To finish<\/i> Preheat the oven to 180\u00b0C fan (350\u00b0F for a standard oven, or 400\u00b0F for convection).<\/p>\n Prick your potatoes with a small knife; this will stop them from exploding in the oven. Place them on a baking tray on a bed of rock salt (any salt will work, but cheap rock salt works best and you can re-use it next time you\u2019re making mash). Bake for 60 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.<\/p>\n Cut the potatoes in half once they are out of the oven, so steam can escape. Scoop the cooked potato flesh out of the skins and pass it through a potato ricer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Put the weighed dry potato mash in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Cut half its weight of butter into small cubes and slowly add to the potato, stirring, using splashes of the milk to stop the butter from splitting. You may not need all the milk; you are just using it to bring the mash to your desired consistency and help get that butter inside. Add fine salt and ground white pepper to taste.<\/p>\n Optional: Pass the finished mash through a fine-meshed sieve. This final stage is not 100 percent necessary, but does guarantee beautifully lump-free mash.<\/em><\/p>\n Thank you so much, Matthew<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. More potatoes, just because we love them:<\/a><\/p>\n
From French Classics: Easy and Elevated Dishes to Cook at Home<\/a><\/em>, by Matthew Ryle<\/p>\n
6 large potatoes, ideally Maris Piper or Yukon Gold
salt, ideally rock salt<\/p>\n
1kg (4 cups firmly packed) dry potato mash (see above)
about 500g (4 sticks) butter
about 200ml (scant 1 cup) whole milk
fine sea salt
white pepper, freshly ground<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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