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Lobsterman
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While doing a little internet research on this topic I came arcoss an interesting article about the French guru on making mashed potatoes. Here's an
excerpt.
....."The modern cook who has understood this best is probably the French chef Joël Robuchon (who 20 years ago was named chef of the century in France
by the Gault Millau guide and whose dozen restaurants have a total of 25 Michelin stars). It would not do him enough credit to say that he owes his
fame to his velvety, super-rich potato puree. But is not far from the truth, either. "He realized early on that if you give people potatoes, potatoes
and more potatoes, they'll be eternally grateful, forever fulfilled," writes Patricia Wells in her 1991 book on Robuchon's cooking.
I traveled to Paris last month to sample the puree at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon: a pilgrimage in the search of the perfect mash. It was a lot like
any other good potato puree I have tasted. Only much, much better. It was soft and creamy; as rich as Croesus, yet as light as snow.
"We have one cook who does nothing else," said L'Atelier's executive chef, Axel Manes.
There is no secret recipe: only the serious, even extreme, application of the three aforementioned principles. Robuchon potatoes are cooked in lightly
salted water and then drained. For smooth, velvety structure without the risk of tangled starch molecules, the potatoes are pressed through a
very-fine-mesh sieve. Not once, not twice, but three times. More water is removed by heating the riced potatoes in a pot over low heat. Hot milk is
added, then cold butter is gradually beaten in with a whisk to form a creamy and airy emulsion.
It is impressive, yet quite simple. Still, it is not something you would make every day, even if you had time. Apart from the craftsmanship and the
gentle but firm treatment of the potato, the difference between Robuchon's potato puree and most others is the amount of butter used. In fact, I have
heard food scientists argue that the potato puree is really an emulsion, as closely related to the classical French sauces as to the mash we all know.
Exactly what that amount was I was unsure of. Before I left L'Atelier, though, chef Manes came to say goodbye, and I had the opportunity to find out.
"You use quite a lot of butter, don't you?" I asked him.
"Oh, yes! A lot!"
"How much?"
"Well, let me see. Every day we serve around 35 pounds of potato puree. For that we need 17 pounds of potatoes, and around 17 pounds of butter."
It caused me to suddenly remember the title of Phyllis Richman's culinary mystery novel: "The Butter Did It."
Robuchon's potato puree is probably the most sublime combination of a modest American spud and the extravagance of French cuisine. I am thankful that
I now know how to achieve the perfect mash, yet I often end up settling for a little less.........."
[Edited on 11-25-2009 by Lobsterman]
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The Gull
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Garlic Potatoes
The recipes with baked garlic are the best, especially when one deletes the potatoes from the recipe. 
[Edited on 11-25-2009 by The Gull]
�I won\'t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.� William F. Buckley, Jr.
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Gypsy Jan
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Wow, Lobsterman
That quote is a treasure; I have saved it off to my files.
Thank you so much for sharing that bit of brilliant writing.
And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Cheers, GJ
[Edited on 11-25-2009 by Gypsy Jan]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Lobsterman
the potatoes are pressed through a very-fine-mesh sieve. |
Sounds like the riced potatos grandma made a very long time ago. Have not heard it being done this way for years. Thanks
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DanO
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
OK. So tell me that I'm cranky. But I'm willing to bet that despite all the recipes and hints listed, if I was to whip up a bunch using instant mashed
potatoes and packaged garlic powder, along with my little secret of substituting greek yogurt for milk, y'all would not be disappointed.
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Whether or not you are cranky is besides the point. There is no way in hell I'd be fooled. Those boxed spuds taste just like the square of mashed
"potatoes" sitting next to the nasty Salisbury steak in the TV dinners my mom used to shove at me when I was a kid. No amount of garlic powder and
yogurt could obscure that manufactured taste and texture. By the way, where is Salisbury, and what can be done to help its deluded populace, who
apparently believe that a wafer of overcooked burger floating in runny snot passed off as gravy is a "steak"?
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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Gypsy Jan
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Hi Udo
Just got back from the last-minute shopping trip to the Mega Comercial Mexicana in Rosarito and...well...no German or French unsalted butter, but I
brought home a brick of Anchor Brand New Zealand unsalted butter (Mantequilla Pura de Nueva Zelanda).
[Edited on 11-26-2009 by Gypsy Jan]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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Udo
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I have previously purchased some of the New Zeland butter. It is somewhat closer to Dutch butter than French or German. It does have a very good
flavor.
The best of all the butter flavors is the Swiss butter, where the French tried to copy the flavor from.
The way one distinguishes each butter's flavor is by clarifying it (slowly cooking it down until it gently melts, then separating the top foam, and
then bottom solids). Let the clarified butter solidify in the fridge, then shmear it on white bread. Don't add any salt or other flavorings, then
you'll get the actual butter savor.
The clarified butter can then be used to cook with without the fear of burning it because the pan temperature is too high.
However, in keeping with the mashed potatoes theme of this post, butter is best used in it's original state, as well as cold for best consistency.
It's nice to know that New Zealand butter is available in BaJa.
I usually have to make a trip to L.A. area's Alpine Village, or Surfas Restaurant supply for the specialty butters, as well as some specialty fats
(like lard from around the kidney area of the pig).
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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BajaNuts
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hey Bajahowodd and DanO ,
while it is no match for the real thang, Costco came out with some instant potatoes which are just that....POTATOES!
NO extra hydrogenated stuff. and when you add some pre-roasted garlic ------ (see earlier post------)
pre-baked/roasted garlic and butter, it's pretty good for a quick family dinner.
Would I want to serve it for all the family wannabe-gourmands??
Probably not...
but then again, maybe I would serve it to them just to see what they say and if they could tell the difference
 
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BajaNuts
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Hey Gypsy Jan!
How did the spuds turn out? What did you do and how did they like it?
'Nuts
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Gypsy Jan
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A Sick Dog Shortcircuited My Culinary Plans
We spent the day in the vet's office, instead of making spuds.
But Nutz, I am going to try yours and the other recipes over this holiday season. I am kind of slow and meticulous and want to make things turn out
right.
I promise to report back to you and the Nomads!
Cheers, GJ
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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tattuna
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Okay, so I tried Bajanut's roasted garlic recipe and Udo's baked/mashed recipe and ruined them both royally!
I roasted the garlic at 275 and checked every 30 mins. After an hour and a half the garlic looked dark brown and rubbery, so I took it out. I put it
in the garlic press and nothing came out. it just flattened in there so I scraped up what i could.
Then I tried to bake the potatoes. At 50 mins, I felt some resistance with the knife when I checked em. Another 15 mins and it went through smooth so
I removed em. I then tried to mash em by hand, and got nowhere quick. I don't have a food processor so I tried the blender. Potatoes were too tough
and the blender started smoking!
Did what I could and mixed the papas and ajo together and it was just bad!
Any suggestions? I'm thinking less time on the garlic and more time on the potatoes, but I'm not much of a cook. Also, can this be done with red
potatoes? Thanx for all your advice. I really wanna figure these out.
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fishbuck
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Wow, that sounds tramatic! I sure am glad I don't cook.
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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boe4fun
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Mood: Circling the drain........
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My wife adds wasabe to her mashed potatos - yummm!
Two dirt roads diverged in Baja and I, I took the one less graveled by......
Soy ignorante, apático y ambivalente. No lo sé y no me importa, ni modo.
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C205Driver
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. . . AND. . .do not forget to put in a very big dollop of REAL mayonaise. . .mmmmmm
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BajaDanD
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you can buy instant garlic mashed potatoes for about a doller a pack Nobody will ever know.
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Lobsterman
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I made the garlic mash potato casserole recipe above for Thanksgiving. It is quite simple just follow the directions to a tee. The 1/2" potatoe
pieces are a must. It was a hit with the guests because nobody every had it before. Leftovers you can make mash potatoe cakes, dust patties with
flour or bread crumbs, fry them up, place a dollop of sour cream with fresh chopped chives on top. Great compliment to a main course. I made the
casserole hours before the guests arrived then popped it into the oven an hour before dinner was served.
With mash potatoes never use a mixer. Gently mash the potates with a ricer type device or press them thru a small wire mesh shifter like the french
do above. Then gently fold in any additional ingredients into the mash potatoes with a rubber spatula. Heavy mixing or beating will turn the potatoe
molecules into glue.
[Edited on 12-11-2009 by Lobsterman]
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Gypsy Jan
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Hi Bajanuts
Here is a recount of my recent tries using your advice and Udo's.
The potatoes turned out fantastic, with either method, slightly different texture results, but flavor equally good.
I have not been very successful with roasting the garlic. Udo said to tuck them into the foil with the potatoes while baking - they turned out dry,
almost like a fruit leather, good flavor, just not mash-able.
I had the same problem with the roast in oil at 275 degrees method, the garlic turned a yummy brown, but was too grainy to mash and press through a
sieve.
I used fresh-bought heads of garlic, so staleness wasn't a factor.
Any advice/comments are appreciated, TIA (Thanks in Advance.
Seasonally yours, GJ
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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BajaNuts
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Hey Foodies!
Glad to hear folks are trying the recipes and with some success!
For the roasted garlic issues- possible lower the temp to 250, and definitely don't cook it as long! Oven temps differ, so that is always a
consideration.
I oven roast the garlic cloves just until light tan color. As I said before, when I do the garlic, I do 5-10# at a time and then freeze it in small
tubs for use in large recipes. When doing it that way, I usually have a few cloves that get dark brown from the corners of the pan if I don't stir
them enough, and they are hard to mash/chop, but the bulk of the cloves are soft and light tan color.
It's more about the tenderness/softness of the cloves than the color. I guess I should amend the earlier instructions to say-
"roast until lightly tan and soft" instead of "gently brown".
Tattuna- it sounds like the garlic was cooked too long. Dark brown is too dark if the goal is to mash/smash the cloves. And if I have a small amount
of roasted garlic to mash, I just put it on a plate or cutting board and smash it with a fork.
GJ- it sounds like your garlic was a little more done than it should be. If it's golden brown, it's almost like the sugars have crystalized like
candy and it will be difficult to sieve. Less heat, or less cooking time, lighter tan, no brown.
For the time it takes to roast the garlic in the oven, I would encourage people to do at least a pound of garlic and then freeze it in a couple small
tubs or a pint-size ziploc bag. It's easy to break off a piece for whatever you want to put it in. Potatoes, stirfry, even hashbrowns, roasts, .....
I have also done "roasted" garlic on the stovetop for just a few cloves, but it's technically not ROASTED- I used a tiny saucepan, covered the
cloves with olive oil and cooked them on med-low until brown. This method usually ended up with more of the darker brown cloves instead of the light
tan. Probably because I was in a hurry and had the temp too high.
Also- One more note for those who do cloves in the oven- I have noticed that the cloves sometimes turn a funky green shade during the early stages of
roasting, but don't worry! I don't know why they do that, but they roast up just fine! Just keep stirring occasionally....
Man- we just had an awesome pot roast (made by 'Nuts2 in a cast iron dutch oven pan~~~) and I'm really full but all this talk about roasted garlic is
making me hungry again!
And psssst~BajaDanD~ I've used those box potatoes in a pinch and they're pretty good! (don't tell!)
[Edited on 12-12-2009 by BajaNuts]
[Edited on 12-12-2009 by BajaNuts]
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BajaNuts
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Just thought I'd add a little about cooking/boiling potatoes.
Potatoes don't need to be totally covered in water to be cooked. If you have a good saucepan with a properly fitting lid, all you need is about half
way up the potatoes. Bring them up to boil and then turn the burner down to medium or low, just to keep it simmering. The steam will cook the spuds
as much as boiling water.
Mom used to drain off and save the water from the potatoes and then pour a little back as needed into the mashed potatoes to get them moist. It
probably retains more of the nutrients that way. I just drain the water, cuz I like to use that totally unhealthy butter in our spuds, but it's an
option!.
Anyway, Mom used a checker-board design hand masher, I use one of those zig-zag wire mashers. They would probably get a little lighter texture if I
ran them through a ricer/sieve, but the hand masher works fine for us.
GO SPUDS! And GARLIC!
[Edited on 12-12-2009 by BajaNuts]
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Lindalou
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
OK. So tell me that I'm cranky. But I'm willing to bet that despite all the recipes and hints listed, if I was to whip up a bunch using instant mashed
potatoes and packaged garlic powder, along with my little secret of substituting greek yogurt for milk, y'all would not be disappointed.
|
Whether or not you are cranky is besides the point. There is no way in hell I'd be fooled. Those boxed spuds taste just like the square of mashed
"potatoes" sitting next to the nasty Salisbury steak in the TV dinners my mom used to shove at me when I was a kid. No amount of garlic powder and
yogurt could obscure that manufactured taste and texture. By the way, where is Salisbury, and what can be done to help its deluded populace, who
apparently believe that a wafer of overcooked burger floating in runny snot passed off as gravy is a "steak"? |
Now Dano, tell us how you really, really feel!
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