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...

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 over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, then reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until they are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. 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, to taste, and finish by stirring in 1/4 cup of olive oil, if desired.

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.