Name: Pomme Puree
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 pounds yukon gold potatoes (rinsed and scrubbed); 1 Tablespoon Salt + more for the end; 1 3/4 cups whole milk; 3 cloves garlic (halved); 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 1-inch chunks)

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Pomme puree (called "fancy mashed potatoes" in our house) is as creamy, buttery, and rich as it looks -- and is the best side dish under your favorite meat or fish. 5 star restaurants, watch out!

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These aren't your average mashed potatoes from that chain steakhouse. These are the fancy mashed potatoes from that upscale steakhouse downtown you only visit on special occasions -- where the mashed potatoes act as a buttery, creamy bed for a delicious piece of meat or fish. Or just some chicken you baked in the oven on a Tuesday. Whatever.

You can make these mashed potatoes right in your own home, and I'm just going to say it: they're WAY better than your standard mashed potatoes. Pomme puree requires more steps than your regular mashed potatoes, but these extra steps are SO worth it, especially for celebratory dinners (think: birthday parties, anniversaries, Thanksgiving, Christmas...). You need just a couple of ingredients, a couple of kitchen tools, and 15 minutes of hands-on time.

side view of plate of pomme puree, cut steak, and broccoli with bottle and glass of wine in background.

What is Pomme Puree?

Not going to lie. The first time I read pomme puree on a menu, I thought they were serving apple sauce and considered ordering it for my child. High school French didn't prepare me for this one.

Pomme Puree is buttery and creamy potatoes inspired by Chef Joël Robuchon's iconic dish that use a French preparation of cooking rather than the typical mashing like many of us are used to. Riced potatoes are gently folded into a hot butter and milk mixture then blended until smooth. A more American mashed potato preparation is a simpler preparation, where the potatoes are mashed, then butter and milk is added. Most mashed potatoes are lumpy. These are buttery and smooth.

Ingredients Needed

Just the basics:

Yukon potatoes
butter
salt
milk
garlic

Some Liberties Taken

I took some liberties to do two things out of the ordinary from the typical French preparation and my sole reason for doing so was health:

Use milk instead of cream. These potatoes are plenty creamy without using cream, in my opinion.
Use significantly less butter than many recipes call for. While I loooove me some butter, I played around with reducing the butter as much as possible to still taste the buttery goodness.

aerial photo of mashed potatoes in round dish next to spoon with mashed potatoes on it.

Equipment Substitutions

The recipe calls for using a ricer (what I use) or food mill. If you don't have either, you can always use a cheese grater (the small holes) but it'll take you a bit longer. You'll need to put some extra elbow grease in.

At the end, I like to really seal the deal on the creaminess by using an immersion blender at the very end. If you don't have an immersion blender, you could put the potatoes in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until creamy.

flatlay picture of fillet on bed of mashed potatoes all on white plate and white marble background

Make Pomme Puree Ahead of Time

Pomme puree is excellent re-heated. I think it's something about using the immersion blender at the very end that binds the butter with the potatoes because there is zero separation when the potatoes are put in the refrigerator overnight.

To re-heat normally: Place potatoes in an oven-safe casserole dish. Reheat at 300˚F for 25-30 minutes.

For a crusty top: Place potatoes in an oven-safe casserole dish. Reheat at 400˚F for 30 minutes. You can even stick under the broiler for another 1-2 minutes to get an even crispier, crunchy top. It's quite delicious!

aerial shot of hand scooping pomme puree with a spoon with plate of steak and broccoli next to bowl

Happy celebrating!

xox,

kathryn

As always, if you make anything from the blog, be sure to let me know! I love hearing from you in the comments on this post below or find Worn Slap Out on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Pomme Puree

Pomme puree (called "fancy mashed potatoes" in our house) is as creamy, buttery, and rich as it looks -- and is the best side dish under your favorite meat or fish. 5 star restaurants, watch out!

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: mashed potatoes, pomme puree

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: people

Ingredients

3 pounds yukon gold potatoes rinsed and scrubbed
1 Tablespoon Salt + more for the end
1 ¾ cups whole milk
3 cloves garlic halved
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1-inch chunks

Instructions

Line potatoes at the bottom of a large pot in a single layer. Cover potatoes with just enough water to be underwater. Add salt to pot. Simmer over medium heat for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and are soft when pierced with a knife. Transfer potatoes to an ice bath and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Rinse pot out and put back on stove. Remove the skins from the potatoes by rubbing potatoes with your hands. Put skinned potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer into another bowl.
Meanwhile, place milk in pot and simmer until milk starts bubbling. Add garlic and simmer for 5-6 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
Remove garlic cloves and whisk in butter a little at a time. Whisk until melted. Then add riced potatoes and stir to combine. Add more salt to taste and remove from heat. If mixture is still a bit lumpy, use an immersion blender to make potatoes extra creamy. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator to re-heat the next day.

Notes

These potatoes re-heat really well.