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French Mashed Potatoes
5 from 8 votes

French Mashed Potatoes

These decadent French mashed potatoes are made with boiled potatoes, milk, cream, butter, and (optionally) garlic. This recipe is based on Julia Child's purée de pommes de terre à l'ail.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 316 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Garlic Purée (Optional):
  • 2 garlic bulb 20-24 garlic cloves, heads
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup heavy cream
French Mashed Potatoes:
  • 2 ½ pounds russet potato or Yukon Gold potato
  • ½ cup milk If making the garlic purée, you can use the leftover cream, or cream, plus more if needed
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground, plus more to taste

Instructions

Garlic Purée (Optional):
    Cup of Yum
  1. Seperate the cloves from the garlic head by cutting off the top (the papery end), and then bang down on the garlic with the side of a heavy chef's knife to separate the cloves.Peel the garlic. (Use the side of a knife to smash each garlic clove, and the peel should slip off easily.)
  2. Add the garlic and butter to a small saucepan, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. The garlic should be tender but not browned.Tip: You want to use very low heat for this step. If your stovetop has a small, less powerful burner, use that. If not, keep a close eye on the garlic to make sure it doesn't begin to brown.
  3. Add the cream and bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the garlic is very tender.
  4. Scoop garlic out of the cream and add to a food processor. Purée until smooth. Reserve cream.The garlic purée can be made up to a day ahead of time.
French Mashed Potatoes:
  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.Scrub, peel, and quarter the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the boiling water, and cook 10-15 minutes until tender (but not falling apart).Drain the potatoes. Add the potatoes back to the pot and immediately run through a potato masher or ricer.
  2. For Russet potatoes: Put the pot back on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium, and use a wooden spatula or spoon to beat the potatoes constantly for about 2 minutes. When the potatoes begin to form a film on the bottom of the pan, turn off the heat.If your potatoes are old they might already be dry, and a film will appear immediately on the bottom of the pan. If so, turn off the heat and move on to the next step.This step will remove extra moisture from the potatoes. If using Yukon gold potatoes you can skip this step since they absorb less moisture.
  3. Add the milk or cream to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.If you made the garlic purée, you can use the leftover cream for this step. You might need to add a little extra milk or cream until you have ½ cup total.Cut the butter into small cubes. Add butter cubes, salt, and pepper to the potatoes.
  4. Begin beating the hot milk or cream into the potatoes. Continue beating until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.If your potatoes were very dry, you might need to add extra milk. (Warm the milk before adding.)Taste and add more salt if desired.To keep warm (for up to an hour), place in a pan over lightly simmering water, and cover loosely. The mashed potatoes can be made up to a day ahead of time, and then reheated in the same manner (in a loosely covered pan over simmering water).
  5. Just before serving, beat the garlic (if using) into the hot mashed potatoes. Serve with gravy or extra butter if desired.

Notes

  • Cook time assumes you're multitasking and are preparing the potatoes while the garlic cooks on low heat.  If you prepare the garlic fully and then the potatoes, cook time will be longer.

Nutrition Information

Calories 316kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 36g (12%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Cholesterol 55mg (18%) Sodium 304mg (13%) Potassium 830mg (18%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 620IU (12%) Vitamin C 11mg (12%) Calcium 65mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 316

% Daily Value*

Calories 316kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 304mg 13%
Potassium 830mg 18%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 620IU 12%
Vitamin C 11mg 12%
Calcium 65mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.