Side
Michelin mashed potatoes
Twice-roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, riced smooth, then finished with a bay-and-nutmeg cream reduced with the leftover skins. More work than a normal mash, worth it for a special dinner.
PrepPr20 minCookCk1 h 5 minTotalTot1 h 25 minServesSrv6
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Yukon Gold potatoes (unpeeled)
- Coarse salt (for the roasting bed)
- 250-300 g unsalted butter, divided
- 200-250 ml whole milk (amount depends on how dry the potatoes roast out)
- 200-250 ml heavy cream (amount depends on how dry the potatoes roast out)
- 1 bay leaf (Optional)
- Fresh nutmeg, a few gratings (Optional)
- Salt (to taste)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Prick the potatoes all over with a knife and nestle them into a bed of coarse salt on a baking tray.
- Roast for 45 minutes, until the skins are dry and the flesh is tender.
- While still warm, cut the potatoes open and scoop out the flesh, saving the skins. Tap off the excess salt from the skins.
- Roughly chop the skins and spread them on a tray. Return to the oven for about 10 minutes to dry out further.
- Push the warm potato flesh through a ricer, then a fine drum sieve (a regular fine sieve works too), using gentle pushing motions rather than scraping so you don’t overwork the starch.
- Melt most of the butter over the lowest heat you have, saving a couple of knobs for the end. Fold the melted butter gently into the riced potato until just combined, then cover to keep warm.
- Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and heat to about 60°C. Add the chopped potato skins, plus the bay leaf and nutmeg if using, then bring to a boil.
- Reduce for about 10 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch, until thickened like a custard.
- Strain out the skins and bay leaf, keeping the infused cream.
- Fold the infused cream into the potato in three or four additions, stirring gently each time to keep the mash smooth rather than gluey.
- Season with salt to taste and fold in the reserved butter right at the end. Serve warm.
