A Michelin star chef has shared his step-by-step process for smooth and creamy mashed potato.
The comforting side dish can be cooked a number of ways, but it seems near impossible to get restaurant quality mashed spuds at home. If you've ever wanted to eat fine dining potatoes without the hefty price tag, you can now do so thanks to chef Asimakis Chaniotis of Pied à Terre restaurant.
The London fine dining establishment shared the professional method in a video that's garnered 2.8 million views on social media. While it may be more time consuming than an average mash, putting in that extra bit of effort will produce "pomme purée" - as it's known in fine dining - of the highest standards.
Explaining the first step of the process on the @piedaterrerestaurant TikTok, chef Asimakis explained that you must first boil the potatoes, then pass them through a sieve in place of a potato ricer for a finer texture. He stressed that this must be done while the spuds are still hot.
And before you think about pushing those potatoes any old way, there is a more precise way the pros do it.
According to chef Asimakis, the vegetable must be pressed through the sieve directly from the top, as any other way can "activate the starch of the potato", leaving them gummy rather than silky.
Next, it's time to add melted butter - lots of it- to the mix. Chef Asimakis explained: "Normally we add half the quantity of the weight of the potatoes to butter, and then we're going to bring this to a sizzling point."
After mixing this together, the next step is to add a pinch of salt and warm milk, stirring everything together until everything is emulsified. "So now the next step is when they start sizzling here, as you can see," he added.
"Then we add a bit of salt for seasoning and then we're going to add the milk to emulsify the potato."
Once the mixture unsticks from the pan, that's when the pomme puree is "nice and ready". However, there's one more thing to do before plating up.
Chef Asimakis explained: "Now for the last and final step, we want to pass the potato again through a sieve to break down any pieces that haven't emulsified together.
"This part is so much more easier than the part before, because the potato puree is already thinned down a little bit. That's how you make mashed potatoes."
So, there you have it. Bon appétit.
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