This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
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.
253 K 4.3/5 (36 reviews)
1 hour 35 min.
Easy
2.40 €
1 kg 300 g
5 IngredientsLast modified on: October 3rd 2010
1 kg 
125 g 
125 g 
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 kg 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 125 g butter cut into small pieces, a little at a time, stirring well until the butter is completely incorporated.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 2 min.
Add 125 g 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.
How much will it cost?
- For 1 kg 300 g : 2.40 €
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
Oxtail Parmentier
Rather like the classic hachis Parmentier, but using oxtail stewed very slowly in red wine and herbs.
326 K4.7 5 hours 50 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.
208 K3.9 2 hours 15 min.
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.
122 K4.2 6 hours 7 min.
Potato and two ham gratin
Little morsels of boiled and raw cured ham sautéd briefly then mixed with mashed potatoes and finished as a gratin in the oven.
136 K 14.6 50 min.
Duck Parmentier
This recipe is very simple to make as everything can be prepared in advance. A layer of duck meat is sandwiched between two layers of potato purée. This is topped with grated cheese before being put in the oven.
119 K3.9 55 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Potatoes
Like these other recipes: Grated potato cakes, Chilli langoustines, Zucchini and potato scarpaccia, Big knife-cut chips (French fries) , Smoky potato and potimarron gratin, ... See them all 84
Butter
Like these other recipes: Strawberry and rhubarb crumble, Toffee apple upside-down cake, Spinach and Comté Loaf, Steamed leeks with morel sabayon, Checkerboard biscuits, ... See them all 483
Cream
Like these other recipes: Quick chicken curry, Coconut-vanilla cream for Elsa , Individual creamy endive gratins, Breton Pie, Bounty-style tart for Alison, ... See them all 120
Salt
Like these other recipes: Light herb sauce, Roast potatoes "à la provençale", Sausages with baked beans, French style, Pumpkin and red-bean tortillas, Vegetable pie, ... See them all 675
Other recipes you may also like
Royal icing
Royal icing is a mixture of egg white and icing sugar. From its pasty consistency when fresh, it dries to give a lovely white crust. February 12th 2012212 K4.7 15 min.
Express apple tart
A fine apple tart, very quick to make. April 8th 2020382 K 24.6 55 min.
Meringues
A very simple recipe but which always impresses. June 10th 2019409 K4.5 4 hours 20 min.
Brioche dough
It's a soft and rich dough, with butter and eggs which give a smooth and incredibly tasty brioche. This is the basic recipe for brioche dough, used for all other brioche-based recipes on the site. September 16th 2020547 K 44.2 14 hours 30 min.
Herb olive oil
This flavoured olive oil, easy to prepare, goes very well with Mediterranean cuisine: pizzas, pastas, pan bagnat, etc... February 21th 2011326 K3.8 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-12-14)
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.