Comfort food season is nearly upon us, and you really can’t get much more hearty and warming than a portion of mashed potatoes. Smooth, creamy and delicious, it goes with so many different dishes, and it’s also pretty easy to get your hands on.
If you don’t want to buy a ready-made mash from the shops, it’s also really simple to make at home. However, if you want to level up your spuds, then there’s one trick used by Michelin chefs that will make all the difference. Shef Phoenix recently took to TikTok to trial a recipe loved by the professionals, and it involves following one very simple ratio.
This recipe was invented by Joel Robuchon, a 31 Michelin-starred chef who was once named ‘chef of the century’. Based in France, this cooking pro’s mashed potatoes are often considered the best in the whole world.
Despite its popularity, this dish is not complicated to make, as it only contains four ingredients. One of these is butter, and you’ll need a lot of it.
According to the expert, however many potatoes you’re using, your butter and milk should weigh half of this. It might sound excessive, but these are a real luxury, and they’re the perfect treat for these cold and rainy nights.
Another quirk of this recipe is that the potatoes aren’t peeled before they’re boiled – this comes afterwards. They’re also strained after they are mashed, which is what gives them that amazing smooth texture. Here’s how to make this dish at home.
Best mashed potatoes in the world
Ingredients
- 1kg Le Ratte potatoes
- 250g cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 250ml hot milk
- Flaky sea salt
Method
Put the potatoes in a large pot and season with a few pinches of flaky sea salt. Boil for about 30 minutes until tender.
Afterwards, drain the potatoes and peel them while they’re still warm. An easy way to do this is make one long vertical cut down each potato and peel the skin off from there, holding it in a paper towel if it’s too hot.
Next, use a ricer to mash the potatoes in a pan over a low heat, which will help to get rid of any excess moisture. Take them out of the pan and press the spuds through a fine sieve to really make sure there are no lumps whatsoever.
Put the potatoes back in the pan and add the cubed cold butter. When it has fully encorporated, whisk in the hot milk and more salt, making sure to mix it quickly to avoid breaking the emulsion.
Serve immediately with sausages, Yorkshire puddings or anything else you fancy. Tucking in, the chef said: “Annoyingly, those might be the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.”