Best Velvety French Mashed Potatoes Recipes

VELVET MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat 1 inch water (salted if desired) to boiling in Dutch oven. Add potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until tender; drain. Shake pan with potatoes over low heat to dry.
• Mash potatoes in large bowl until no lumps remain. Beat in milk in small amounts, beating after each addition (amount of milk needed to make potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on kind of potatoes used). Add cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Beat vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy.

VELVETY FRENCH MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Peel, cube and boil potatoes until tender.
• In the meantime, while potatoes are boiling, pour milk into small pot, add bay leaf, rosemary and herbs de provonce (optional). Smash garlic clove and add it, too, peel and all. Bring to boil and immediatly lower heat to a very low simmer.
• Drain potatoes. If you use a ricer, rice them through now. Add butter, salt (and cheese, if you want); mix or mash it all together.
• Take milk off heat. Remove the rosemary sprig and bay leaf. Slowly mix it into the mashed potatoes until your velvety masterpiece is complete! Taste it and add salt if you want. If serving on the table, garnish with a tiny sprinkle of herbs de provonce, or chives, or chopped parsley or dill...

ULTIMATE FRENCH MASHED POTATOES (JOëL ROBUCHON)

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a saucepan with 8 cups of cold water and 1 tablespoon of coarse salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until a knife slips in the potatoes easily and cleanly, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and peel them.
• Put them through a potato ricer into a large bowl.
• Slowly mill the potatoes through the potato ricer.
• In a small sauce pan heat up the milk and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, transfer the potatoes to a Dutch oven or sauce pan. On medium-low heat, add the chilled butter cubes to the potatoes and stir continuously for a smooth and creamy texture, about 5 minutes.
• Pour in the very hot milk in a thin stream, stirring briskly. Keep stirring until all the milk is absorbed. Turn off the heat and add the 2 1/4 teaspoons salt and ground white pepper.
• Serve the mashed potatoes immediately. If you like, add a small cube of butter on top of the mashed potatoes before serving.

VELVETY MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Warm the cream with the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts; set aside.
• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to boil then add 1 teaspoon of salt and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. Drain. Pass the potatoes through a food mill or a ricer into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the warm cream and butter mixture until the cream is absorbed and the mixture is smooth. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and finish them off by stirring in 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkling with chives, if using.

MASHED PARSNIPS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Peel and cut the potatoes and parsnips into even sized pieces. Put them into a large pot, cover them with cold water, and add a large pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small pot gently heat the cream and butter over low heat. When the vegetables are done drain them well. Put the vegetables back into the pot over medium heat. Gently stir them to remove any excess moisture; be careful not to burn them. While the potatoes and parsnips are still warm, press them through a potato ricer or food mill into a bowl. Add the warm cream a little at a time and beat with a wooden spoon until the potatoes are fluffy. Season with salt and pepper and gently stir in the chives. Serve immediately.

ROASTED GARLIC VELVET MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Set oven to 400°F.
• Slice off top of garlic head, barely cutting of the top of each clove.
• Take a piece of aluminum foil and scrunch it into a "snake." Wrap this around the side of the garlic head.
• Brush the top of the garlic head with the oil, roast in oven until top of cloves are golden brown and the cloves look to have separated from the side walls of the head, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, wash and Peel the potatoes. Split in half, then cut half into four similarly sized pieces.
• Place potatoes in a large, deep pot. Add enough water to come one inch over the potatoes. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Keep and eye on the pot, so as to prevent boil-overs.
• Boil until a paring knife can easily stab through a potato piece. When appropriate doneness is reached, drain and pour into the workbowl of a stand mixer (or keep in the pot and use a hand mixer.)
• Whip the potatoes alone on high speed until thy are all broken down. Add the butter, continue to whip for 1-2 more minutes. It is important that the butter be added first - this will help to keep the starches in the potato from becoming gummy or gluey.
• Slowly add the Buttermilk while the mixer is going. Slowly add the half-and-half, stopping periodically to see if he potatoes actually need the extra moisture. They may need more or less than perscribed, it is really a matter of personal preference.
• Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the mashed potatoes, add the salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.
• Garnish with snipped chives.