Potato purée
The French have fond childhood memories of this, and while nothing will ever be as good as "Maman" made, here's a fairly straightforward way to make it.
245 K 4.3/5 (35 reviews)
1 hour 35 min.
Easy
650 g
5 IngredientsLast modified on: October 3rd 2010
For 650 g, you will need:
1 lb + 1.6 oz 
2.4 oz 
2.3 oz 
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 50 min.
Cooking: 45 min.
All in all: 1 hour 35 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 40 min.
Wash 1 lb + 1.6 oz potatoes but don't peel them. Put on to boil in a large pan of lightly-salted water.
The potatoes are cooked when a knife blade goes through them easily.
The potatoes are cooked when a knife blade goes through them easily.
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Remove them from the water as soon as they are cooked (don't leave them to cool in the water, they might take on an unpleasant taste).
Stage 3 - 5 min.
As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel them and remove any small blemishes (the "eyes" of the potato).
Stage 4 - 15 min.
Cut into pieces and pass through a vegetable mill using the finest setting.
If you don't have a vegetable mill, use a potato masher (a sort of grid on a handle), but it's hard work.
If you don't have a vegetable mill, use a potato masher (a sort of grid on a handle), but it's hard work.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Put the mashed potatoes in a pan.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Stir constantly over low heat for 4 or 5 minutes to dry the purée.
This is to improve the texture.
This is to improve the texture.
Stage 7 - 3 min.
Then add 2.4 oz butter cut into small pieces, a little at a time, stirring well until the butter is completely incorporated.
Stage 8 - 2 min.
Add 2.3 oz cream and mix again thoroughly.
Stage 9 - 1 min.
Salt and pepper. Your potato purée is ready.
Already quite delicious just as it is, you can serve it "Irish style", for example, with a little chopped chives.
Already quite delicious just as it is, you can serve it "Irish style", for example, with a little chopped chives.
Stage 10 - 20 min.
You can improve it even further by passing it through a sieve. It's long and tiring...
Stage 11
...but you'll have the finest, smoothest potato purée ever.
Remarks
I advise you to use white pepper rather than black; it's less noticable in the finished purée (no little black bits).
The great chef Joel Robuchon liked to say that he built his restaurant's reputation on its potato purée and green salad. Indeed, I got the idea of using the sieve from him, but please note that in his day he used 250g (½ lb) of butter for 1 kg (just over 2 lb) of potatoes!
The great chef Joel Robuchon liked to say that he built his restaurant's reputation on its potato purée and green salad. Indeed, I got the idea of using the sieve from him, but please note that in his day he used 250g (½ lb) of butter for 1 kg (just over 2 lb) of potatoes!
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 10 RDI=5 % | 100 RDI=9 % | 70 RDI=10 % | 1,110 RDI=60 % | 4,660 RDI: 60 % |
| Per 100 g | 1 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 180 RDI=9 % | 740 RDI: 9 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 650 g : 1.25 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 16
Upside-down Parmentier
Parmentier is a French version of shepherd's pie. This variation has slow-cooked meat on top of the mashed potato (purée), instead of underneath. A red-wine sauce adds the finishing touch.
116 K4.2 6 hours 7 min.
Dauphinoise potatoes with Serano ham
These tasty, bite-sized rosettes can be served as an aperitif snack or to accompany a meal.
114 K4.6 40 min.
Two-stage beef chuck
This recipe cooks beef chuck (or braising steak) in two stages: first, slow-cooked in red wine "in the bag", then fried and served with potato purée and a red-wine sauce.
115 K4.3 3 hours 60 min.
Sausage with duchess potatoes and a Mont d'Or fondue
The duchess potatoes are poached in a roll before being sliced and fried. They are served in alternate layers with slices of sausage, also cooked in two stages (boiled then fried), then topped with a fondue of Mont d'Or cheese.
202 K3.9 2 hours 15 min.
Oxtail Parmentier
Rather like the classic hachis Parmentier, but using oxtail stewed very slowly in red wine and herbs.
318 K4.7 5 hours 50 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Potatoes
Like these other recipes: Hearty potato and ham gratin, Super-green, super-thrifty soup, Hasselback or "Swedish-style" potatoes, Winegrowers' sausage casserole, Potato tortilla (Spanish omelette), ... See them all 83
Butter
Like these other recipes: Tagliatelle New Zealand style, Old style brioche, Madeleines, Passion fruit jellies, Quick Strawberry Millefeuille, ... See them all 475
Cream
Like these other recipes: Coconut-vanilla cream for Elsa , Nanou's tuna tart, Nicholas's fish, Clafoutis batter, Potimarron (chestnut pumpkin) "au gratin", ... See them all 117
Salt
Like these other recipes: Chicken and mushroom brik rolls, Bacon rolls, Soft Croque-monsieur with 3 cheeses, Celeriac and parsley soup, Pork chops in the oven, ... See them all 658
Other recipes you may also like
Couscous
In couscous, the meat and vegetable mixture is rather long to cook, but not difficult. And the couscous itself (a kind of coarse semolina) is simple and quick to prepare. November 16th 2017526 K4.3 2 hours 40 min.
Montbenoit's canapés
A recipe from Franche-comté (lovely region of eastern France): large slices of bread coated with melted shallot, grilled bacon dice, a big slice of Morbier (cheese from the same region) and a brief spell in the oven. It really is a winter dish. October 13th 2010284 K4.6 1 hour 45 min.
Hummus
Hummus (or houmous), is one of the famous and delicious Lebanese "mezzes". May 30th 2020343 K4.7 20 min.
Fougasse with bacon and Comté
This is a richer version of the traditional Mediterranean recipe (originaly, it was a simple olive oil bread). October 24th 2017346 K4.1 3 hours 9 min.
Sausage in brioche
In this recipe, sausage is cooked, the skin removed, and baked in a savoury brioche dough. Serve preferably with a good green salad and French dressing (vinaigrette). September 10th 2018421 K5 1 hour 50 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-31)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.