62 replies to this topic

[Jan Stoel]

OK, this is a very old topic, but I need some advise.

I made the pommes puree with ratte potatoes and used a lot of butter and passed it twice trough a fine tamis (no blender!). The puree was very sticky and thick in the beginning and still has a slightly odd consistency even though I diluted it with milk.

Is this just due to the ratte potatoes or could there be another cause. I never made or tasted pommes puree made in a blender, so am not familiar with 'potato glue'. I'm thinking of making it tomorrow, to compare it to my pommes.

Anyone else made the puree with ratte potatoes and thoughts on the consistency?

[carlux]

I haven't made puree with ratte potatoes,and wouldn't, as they are waxy, and you need softer, starchier potatoes. I dont know what to recommend where you live, but here in France, supermarkets actually sell potatoes marked as to what they are used for. In the farmers' markets, where I shop, if I have a question about a particular type, I just ask the vendor. So you need to get yourself the proper potatoes for puree/mashed potato.

You really dont ever want to make potatoes in a blender. All that starch really will produce glue. I use a vegetable mill, or you could use a potato ricer.

[eternal]

I tried the double-poach method last night. 160 for 30, chilled to room temp and then up to 180 for another 30. Well, I was getting hungry and had stuff to do so at the end I brought it up to 190 or 200 until they were done. So maybe 15 min at 180 and another 10 at 190+. I think put through a ricer and then added a cream/whole milk mix and whisked away. I'm not sure if I didn't cook the poatoes enough but there were definite bits (i hesitate to say chunks because they were really small) of potato in the end mixture. I think the whisking helped but I whisked for multiple minutes and they didn't all go away. They tasted great but that part seemed off. Did I just undercook them or did I not whisk enough?

I finished with butter and there was no gummy-ness. Aside from the bits, they were the best mashed I've ever made.

Edited by eternal, 25 January 2012 - 10:31 AM.