So, just by knowing these factors, we should be able to
determine the best way to get either style of mashed
potatoes.
Cream of the Crop
Ultracreamy mashed potatoes are really more of a French
thing than an American one, and if you want to be fancy,
you can call them pommes puree. The goal is to get them
superrich but not heavy or leaden. This requires some
careful cooking to allow just enough starch to be released to
give the potatoes the right texture, but not so much that they
turn gluey. The best way I’ve found to do this is to boil
medium-starch potatoes (like Yukon Golds) just until tender
enough to be pierced with a cake tester or paring knife with
no resistance. Starting them in cold water helps them cook
more evenly, as well as strengthening some of their pectin,
which keeps them from totally falling apart in the water.
I tried several methods for pureeing the potatoes,
including pressing them through a tamis (lots of work),
throwing them straight into a stand mixer (they never get
smooth), and using the food processor (really, really bad
idea). The best and easiest method is to just pass them
through a ricer into the bowl of a stand mixer. You don’t
even need to peel them. After that, I whisk them on high
speed with the paddle attachment, adding melted butter,
heavy cream, salt, and pepper. If I’m not serving
vegetarians, I also like to add a bit of chicken stock, which
gives the puree an intensely savory quality (don’t give away
the secret).
On to the second variety.