French secret to perfect mashed potatoes: Chantilly twist
The French definitely know how to make excellent mashed potatoes. The key is not only using the right vegetables but, above all, the additives and cooking technique. Since I tried using cream, I no longer serve my family any other type of potatoes as a side dish.
Mashed potatoes are a favourite dish worldwide. Although they can be enriched with mascarpone, bacon, or cheese, the essential ingredients are salt, butter, and milk or cream. However, the French add something special that gives the dish lightness. It's about cream, but it must be properly selected and treated before being incorporated into the mashed potatoes.
Which potatoes to choose for mashed potatoes?
Mashed potatoes are an extremely popular side dish for many meals, appreciated for their creamy texture and versatility. To make the perfect mashed potatoes, it's recommended to use type B or C potatoes, which contain a lot of starch, contributing to the dish's fluffiness. A crucial step is the gradual addition of liquid ingredients to better control the consistency. The best result, distinguishing French-style mashed potatoes, is a pleasant, smooth texture. How can you achieve this?
The Chantilly mashed potato method
Chantilly is a town in France and a term for whipped cream in the form of a thick cream. Once you have peeled and cooked the potatoes (about 1 kilogram), as you would normally do for mashed potatoes, you must press them through a ricer. Already at this point, the texture changes significantly. Next, add soft butter (about 100 grams) and milk, mixing and controlling the consistency to the desired level. It should remain quite thick because it's time for the last ingredient. And that's whipped sweet cream - in the store, look for 30% cream, and 100 millilitres is sufficient for 1 kilogram of potatoes. It must be well chilled and then thoroughly whipped. Finally, fold a silicone spatula or wooden spoon into the potatoes. If you want to enhance the flavour further, as advised in the article on mashed.com, you can sprinkle the whole dish with grated Parmesan cheese and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for about 12 minutes. This gives the dish a golden crust; the whipped cream maintains its light, soufflé-like consistency.
