Potato Puree

At the time of writing, this is my favorite way to make a mashed potato side. It contains a lot of butter, but that does allow for using things like a hand mixer without worrying about making the potatoes too dense. The main adjustment I make to this is the amount of liquid added. The milk and cream measurements given usually leave me with some left over, so be sure to add liquid a little bit at a time. Note that this recipe is only two to three side servings, so increase the ingredients keeping the proportions the same as needed.

Most if not all the recipes I viewed say to keep the skin on the potatoes when boiling to reduce the amount of water that gets into the potato. The problem with that is you then either have to find some way to remove the skin easily before putting in the ricer, or only rice one half of a potato at a time. I find it more efficient to peel the potatoes before boiling which makes the ricing process go much faster. I think they still taste very similar, although even less of the milk and cream mixture is needed at the end. Another option is to make the potatoes up to a day in advance of serving so speed is not so much of an issue and pulling skins out of the ricer after each press is not as big a deal. Once the puree is done, it may be added to a zip-top bag with as much air as possible and keep in a sous vide water bath at 150°F / 66°C.

For a more rustic mashed potato side, I follow a similar process, but do not use the ricer, and use half the butter and have that butter at room temperature. I will also use a potato masher about 10 times to break down the potatoes, then a few more times after adding the butter, and finally whisking in the liquid being careful to only work the potatoes as much as needed to mix things together well.

A full written recipe may be found here: https://cook.karylstein.com/g/family/r/potato-puree