Pommes Puree a la Robuchon

Here is Joël Robuchon’s famed puree of 2 parts potato to 1 part butter, silken and lovely. This is the side you want for your most elegant main dish, and you’ll only want a generous spoonful per serving.

This recipe can easily be halved for four people.

Ingredients #

Instructions #

Boil potatoes in an 8-qt. pot of salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside to let cool slightly. Peel potatoes and pass them through a food mill into a 4-qt. saucepan set over medium-low heat. Using a rubber spatula, turn potatoes frequently until they take on a drier, fluffier consistency, 2–3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Working in batches, vigorously stir in the butter until mixture is creamy. Whisk in warmed milk, season potatoes with salt, and transfer them to a warm serving bowl.

Once you’ve scooped them all out, lightly salt and pepper the insides of the shells and arrange them on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Mash the potato “insides” as for mashed potatoes — I like mine kind of chunky, but this is a matter of taste. What’s important is to add the milk or cream and butter slowly — there’s an egg going in, and you don’t want this filling to get soupy. It should be able to stand up on its own. So, mix in as much butter and milk as you think you can, mix in the egg, and and stir in whatever else you want to add. Season well with salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling back into the potato shells. You can sprinkle some grated cheese over the top if you like. At this point you can bake them, or you can let them cool to room temp before coving and refrigerating overnight.

Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. When they’re hot throughout and browning on top, they’re done. You can serve them immediately, but they’re molten hot inside, so I usually let mine sit on the pan for 5 minutes or so.