Mashed Potatoes, Kind of Robuchon-Style

A stellar mashed potato recipe sits at the intersection of comfort and luxury, at once an exaltation of the humble potato and a celebration of butter in all its glory. Joël Rubuchon, the Michelin Guide's most decorated chef, had a keen understanding of this; he began serving his legendary pommes puree at a time when fine dining was turning up its nose at plebeian potatoes. Rubuchon's potato dish was representative of his larger culinary philosophy: When it comes to flavor, less is more. The chef advocated for letting produce shine by not overcomplicating a dish with too many distractions. Indeed, his famous mashed potatoes were made with nothing more than butter, milk, and salt.

For his rendition of Rubuchon potatoes, Anthony Bourdain kept things equally simple in terms of ingredients, even as he adjusted them. Instead of the La Ratte potatoes Rubuchon preferred, he used Yukon Golds, another waxy potato that is much easier to find in the U.S. And he opted for heavy cream over milk while calling for slightly less butter to accommodate the richness of the cream. In the end, both recipes employ a ratio of roughly two parts potatoes to one part butter. In Patricia Wells' L'Atelier of Joël Robuchon, the ratio given is four parts potatoes to one part butter, but that recipe is an adaptation of the original, specifically meant to suit American audiences.

With such a sparse ingredient list, much of this recipe depends on technique to achieve its silky, sublime texture. Rubuchon did not peel his potatoes before boiling them. If you'd like to try this, let the potatoes cool slightly before peeling them to avoid burning yourself. He pressed them through a food mill first, and then again through a tamis, or a drum sieve, to ensure their silky texture. Bourdain calls for a ricer, which does not give as fine a texture as a food mill and tamis, but does result in decadent, buttery-smooth mashed potatoes.