Potato Purée Recipes

REALLY CREAMY POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a parchment-lined sheet pan, arrange the potatoes in an even layer. Bake the potatoes until tender, about 45 minutes. Let the potatoes cool slightly until able to be handled but still hot. Peel the potatoes.
• Add one potato at a time to a ricer and rice the potatoes into a pot. Add the warm cream to the potatoes and some pieces of butter. Whisk until smooth. Continue to add most of the remaining butter, whisking piece by piece, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons to finish. Season the potatoes with salt.
• Fill a small Dutch oven with hot water to warm it up. Dump the water and transfer the potatoes to the pot. Top with the remaining butter and garnish with chives.

FRENCH POTATO PUREE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes, whole, in a pot and cover with cold water. Salt the water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until very tender, about 30 minutes, depending on size.
• Meanwhile, drop the garlic, bay leaf, and thyme in a saucepan with the milk, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse 10 minutes. Pull out the garlic and herbs, and discard.
• When the potatoes are done, drain them and peel while hot. Put them through a food mill set on the smallest setting over a large pot. Beat in the butter a piece at a time. Bring the milk to a boil and beat it in, splash by splash, until completely absorbed. You are looking for a very soft, fine puree, not unlike baby food! Check the seasonings, and serve.

POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Place the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in a large sauce pot. Add 2 tablespoons salt and fill the pot with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat, turn down the heat to low, and simmer about 45 minutes, until tender. One type of potato may be done before the other, so check doneness and remove one variety first, if necessary.
• When the potatoes are cooked through, strain them, and set them aside to cool for 10 minutes or so. Heat the cream and milk together in a small saucepan, then turn off the heat. When the potatoes have cooled, peel them and pass them through a food mill or potato ricer. Put the riced potatoes in a heavy-bottomed pan. Heat them over medium heat a few minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, to dry them out a little. Add the butter slowly, stirring constantly. Season with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• When all the butter has been incorporated, slowly stir in the warm cream mixture until you have a smooth purée. Taste for seasoning. Pass the purée through a fine-mesh tamis twice if you like.
• At the restaurant, we pass the mixture through a fine-mesh tamis [twice] using a rubber spatula. This makes an extremely smooth purée. You can skip this step if you want a more rustic-style potato purée. If you are going to serve the purée immediately, you can hold it in a double boiler or in a warm oven. Otherwise, let the purée cool, then refrigerate it. Reheat the purée gently over medium-low heat, stirring often, and adding more cream if necessary.

POTATO PARSNIP PURéE

Steps:

• Cover parsnips and potatoes with cold water by 1 inch in a 6- to 8-quart pot, then add 1tablespoon salt and bring to a boil, partially covered. Reduce heat and simmer vegetables, partially covered, until very tender but not falling apart, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring cream, butter, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat.
• Drain vegetables in a colander. Force warm vegetables through ricer into cream mixture, then stir to combine well.

SILKY SWEET POTATO PUREE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on a foil-lined pan; bake 45 to 60 minutes, until tender. Peel when cool enough to handle.
• Puree with salt and pepper in a food processor. With motor running, gradually add milks through feeder tube, then butter. Process until silken. (Can make up to 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container.) Reheat and serve.

POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Add cubed potatoes to a medium saucepan with a big pinch of salt and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until very soft and almost falling apart, about 20 minutes. When potatoes are cooked, drain well. Then place them back into the hot pot (with the heat turned off) to evaporate any residual moisture, 30 seconds.
• Run potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer into a mixing bowl. Add butter and stir well to combine; then pour in the warm milk and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add salt to taste and place back into the saucepan. Over very low heat, whisk again to release extra moisture in the potatoes.
• When potatoes are smooth and creamy, but still hold their shape when folded over, transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

POTATO PUREE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with about 2 inches water. Set steamer basket in pot (water should not come through the holes). Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a rapid simmer.
• Add potatoes to steamer basket and steam until tender when pierced with a knife, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the butter is deep golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Place the thyme and garlic in a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Strain the butter over the garlic and thyme into a medium bowl, add cream, and whisk to combine.
• Remove potatoes from steamer basket. Drain, and immediately press through a medium mesh sieve into a large bowl using a rubber spatula. Fold the cream mixture into the potatoes. Press mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

CELERY ROOT-POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Put the celery root, potatoes and garlic cloves in a soup pot. Cover with cold water and salt generously, then boil over medium-high heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and press through a ricer or the large holes of a food mill, then return to the pot. (If you prefer a rough-textured purée, mash with an electric beater or a hand-held potato-masher.)
• Over medium-low heat, whisk in the milk or half-and-half until the thickness of the purée is to your liking. It shouldn't be too stiff. Whisk in the butter and incorporate. Taste for salt and adjust. Make sure the purée is heated through. May be made up to 2 hours in advance, held at room temperature, and reheated in a double boiler.

POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Prepare the vegetables: Have ready a medium-size saucepan of boiling salted water. Add the potatoes and cook until barely tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Lift out, letting them drain well, and peel. Set aside. Add the diced carrots to the water and cook just until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Scoop out with a strainer or slotted spoon, letting them drain well, and set aside. Add the peas and cook until barely tender, about 3 minutes; remove and drain.
• In a large bowl, mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the crema and beat with a wooden spoon to eliminate most of the lumps. Add the egg and mustard, continuing to beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a medium-size skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until fragrant and sizzling but not browned. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley, cook for 1 minute longer, and beat the mixture into the mashed potatoes. Stir in the carrots, peas, pickled onions, olives, and jalapeños. Taste for seasoning and add the pepper and optional salt. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 2-quart baking dish and bake 20 minutes. Serve at once.

POTATO AND LEEK PURéE

Steps:

• 1. In a large pot with water just to cover, boil the potatoes and leeks forabout 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain, reserving the water, and remove the potatoes. Pass them through a ricer. Set aside.
• 2. Transfer the leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and purée.
• 3. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the riced potatoes. Gradually stir in the milk, beating with a wooden spoon until creamy. Stir in the puréed leeks. Stir in some of the reserved potato water for a more liquid consistency.
• 4. Serve immediately. Freeze leftover purée that won't be eaten the next day.