This is my version of what I recognise to be the best potato purée I have ever tasted - it's the Clasic French purée made by Chef Joël Robuchon who dedicated an entire book to potatoes. His secret - lots of fresh cold butter and stirring vigorously the puré. In calorie terms it's more or less the same as french fries so don't panic when you see the amount of butter that goes in it. You need to know 2 things to get a good potato purée: First it's the quality of your potatoes. Choose yellow starchy potatoes like Yokon Gold for a creamy and smooth mash as they have more moisture. The second tip is to never ever process your potatoes. Use a potato ricer or an old fashioned hand held food mill (ex. Oxo Good Grips Food Mill). Both these options purée the potatoes without making them gluey. If you process your potatoes with a hand held immersion blender or a food processor the processing releases more gluten and makes your purée like glue. This said, the recipe follows very closely Robuchon's recipe but I made a few adjustments - I have a real hard time following recipes exactly as they come in a book!

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