Heston’s mashed potatoes

Adapted from Heston Blumenthal

You can call it pomme purée if you’re feeling fancy and French. Whatever you call it, it is delicious decadence.

Heston’s approach is designed to take advantage of enzymatic actions activated at specific temperatures in an unsurprisingly scientific and interesting variation on our silky mash technique or the ChefSteps approach (which looks amazing).

Perhaps one night we’ll make each recipe and do a taste test. Too much mash? Never.

Time

2 hours total: 15 minutes attended, 1 hour 45 minutes unattended

Storage notes

Fridge 3 days.

Difficulty

easy

Special requirements

sous vide, potato ricer, fine mesh sieve

Yield

1200 g (servings 6 )

Ingredients

Weight

Volume

Procedure

Potatoes, waxy, such as charlotte, peeled (reserve the peel)

1000 g

8 small

Cut into equal-size pieces about 1" / 25 mm.

Rinse pieces under cold running water for 5 minutes.

Vacuum pack and cook sous vide for 1 hour @ 72°C / 162°F.

Transfer pouch to a bowl of cold water and allow to cool completely, at least 15 minutes.

Milk

125 g

½ cup

Potato peels A

Meanwhile, vacuum seal together and infuse sous vide @ 72°C / 162°F until required.

Water

as needed

Bring to boil in a pot large enough to hold potato pieces.

Unpack potatoes A and add to pot. Simmer, covered, until soft, about 30 minutes.

Drain and return to pan over low heat until fog has gone and potatoes are dry, about 5 minutes.

Butter, unsalted, cold, diced

200 g

1 block

Salt

10 g

2 tsp

Place in a mixing bowl.

Process potatoes C through a ricer into the bowl.

Pass through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pot set over low heat.

Infused milk B

Strain.

Gradually add to pot and stir gently to combine.

Adapted: 2016.

Notes

B: you can infuse the milk with other flavours at this stage. We have tried dried mushrooms with moderate success and vanilla is particularly effective. Spices and coffee work well. Fried bacon is great! Any flavours which are effective in savoury custards will work well in a warm milk infusion.

D: a #50 / 300 micron sieve works well to achieve a silky smoothness.

Making ahead

Cook and cool the potatoes in the sous vide bath A and infuse the milk B.

The recipe can be completed up to D. Reheat gently while stirring in the warm milk.

Food pairings

Heston likes to add lime jelly cubes to his mash. Boeuf bourguignon.

Nutrition

Serving size 200 g; calories 379.2 kcal, kilojoules 1586.4 kJ, protein 3.1 g, carbohydrates 30.1 g, sugar 1.4 g, fat 27 g, saturated fat 17 g, unsaturated fat 14 g, trans fat 1.1 g, fiber 3 g, cholesterol 71.1 mg,

Type purée component

Author bhsimon

Yield

Servings

Serving size 200 g

Serve	Per serve
Energy (kcal)	379.2
Energy (kJ)	1586.4
Protein (g)	3.1
Fat (g)	27
Carbs (g)	30.1
Sugars (g)	1.4
Fiber (g)	3
Sodium (mg)	652.5
Cholesterol (mg)	71.1

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