Pommes purée
Smooth mashed potatoes
Pommes purée: very smooth, buttery French mashed potatoes passed through a sieve
Pommes purée is the smooth, rich mash served all over France with roast chicken, sausages or a Sunday daube, and made famous in Paris restaurants where chefs beat in almost as much butter as potato. Floury potatoes are boiled whole in their skins, peeled hot, pressed through a ricer or sieve and beaten with hot milk and cold butter until silky. The common mistake is mashing in a food processor or with a blender, which turns the starch gluey. Chef's tip: dry the riced potato over a low heat for a minute before adding the butter; drier potato takes in more butter and tastes richer.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb mashing potatoesa floury variety, similar size, unpeeled
- 1 tbsp saltfor the water
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 4 ½ oz cold unsalted butterdiced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ¼ lb mashing potatoes in a large pan of cold water with the 1 tbsp salt, bring to the boil and simmer for 25–30 minutes, until a knife slides through the biggest one with no resistance.
30 minStep 2: Drain, then peel the potatoes while still hot, holding them in a tea towel. Press them through a potato ricer or a sieve back into the dry pan.
5 minStep 3: Stir the potato over a low heat for 1 minute to drive off steam. Meanwhile heat the ¾ cup whole milk until steaming.
2 minStep 4: Beat in the cold 4 ½ oz cold unsalted butter a few cubes at a time with a wooden spoon, then the hot milk in a slow stream, until the purée is smooth, glossy and soft enough to slump from the spoon. Season with ½ tsp salt and 1 pinch ground nutmeg and serve hot.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pommes purée take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of mashing potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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