Discussion
Greetings.
I'm told my long-suffering fiancee that I will cook epic bangers and mash tonight, as she's working late.
I am pretty clueless in the kitchen, but have plans to smash the tatties, add a bit of milk and a dollop of butter, and hopefully Bob shall be my uncle.
Any advice on anything to make the mash that extra bit awesome? It always seems to taste nicer in restaurants...
I'm told my long-suffering fiancee that I will cook epic bangers and mash tonight, as she's working late.
I am pretty clueless in the kitchen, but have plans to smash the tatties, add a bit of milk and a dollop of butter, and hopefully Bob shall be my uncle.
Any advice on anything to make the mash that extra bit awesome? It always seems to taste nicer in restaurants...
Depends how insane you want to be about it.
The honest answer is:
Quick tip - use the right potato - dry, floury potatoes only
Medium tip - use more butter than you think. Butter is flavour (i.e fat = flavour carrying molecule) so dont go easy & season well
Long tip - Use a potato ricer to get smooth mash, and use as much butter as you can without breaking the emulsion - most french restaurants use up to 50% by weight of butter to mash - but it's taaaaasty
Insane-o tip - think of Joel Rubochon and avoid water. Bake your potatoes for 2 hours until soft and fluffy. Scoop out the mash and pass it first through a ricer, and then through a Tammis. Use 50 - 75% of the weight of your potatoes as butter, season liberally with salt and white pepper only. For added insane-o-ness, use only French Ratte potatoes.
The honest answer is:
Quick tip - use the right potato - dry, floury potatoes only
Medium tip - use more butter than you think. Butter is flavour (i.e fat = flavour carrying molecule) so dont go easy & season well
Long tip - Use a potato ricer to get smooth mash, and use as much butter as you can without breaking the emulsion - most french restaurants use up to 50% by weight of butter to mash - but it's taaaaasty
Insane-o tip - think of Joel Rubochon and avoid water. Bake your potatoes for 2 hours until soft and fluffy. Scoop out the mash and pass it first through a ricer, and then through a Tammis. Use 50 - 75% of the weight of your potatoes as butter, season liberally with salt and white pepper only. For added insane-o-ness, use only French Ratte potatoes.
A potato ricer is a good buy.
It's also very useful for things like celeriac / sweet potato mashes which are nigh-on impossible to get the lumps out of otherwise.
Considering what a great gadget this is, it's surprisingly difficult to find. Larger Tesco / Sainsbury might sell ricers, otherwise it's specialist kitchen shops / online only.
It's also very useful for things like celeriac / sweet potato mashes which are nigh-on impossible to get the lumps out of otherwise.
Considering what a great gadget this is, it's surprisingly difficult to find. Larger Tesco / Sainsbury might sell ricers, otherwise it's specialist kitchen shops / online only.
Zaxxon said:
No need to get all technical it's only mash potato.
Instead of milk I would use double cream for lovely creamy mash.
Well, it's the same application to anything.Instead of milk I would use double cream for lovely creamy mash.
"You wanna' picture of the Mona bleedin' Lisa? No need to get all technical mate it's only art, just buy some f'kin Crayolas and draw one"
Cream for a creamy mash is a genius tip though.
Pro-tip: Use butter for a buttery mash, use potatoes for a potatoey mash, and use sticks for a sticky mash.
Mobile Chicane said:
A potato ricer is a good buy.
It's also very useful for things like celeriac / sweet potato mashes which are nigh-on impossible to get the lumps out of otherwise.
Considering what a great gadget this is, it's surprisingly difficult to find. Larger Tesco / Sainsbury might sell ricers, otherwise it's specialist kitchen shops / online only.
Agreed - makes a big difference and lumps in mash is not winning, no matter how many times you pass it off as "crushed potato".It's also very useful for things like celeriac / sweet potato mashes which are nigh-on impossible to get the lumps out of otherwise.
Considering what a great gadget this is, it's surprisingly difficult to find. Larger Tesco / Sainsbury might sell ricers, otherwise it's specialist kitchen shops / online only.
Debenhams tend to have them too.
w00tman said:
Well, it's the same application to anything.
"You wanna' picture of the Mona bleedin' Lisa? No need to get all technical mate it's only art, just buy some f'kin Crayolas and draw one"
Cream for a creamy mash is a genius tip though.
Pro-tip: Use butter for a buttery mash, use potatoes for a potatoey mash, and use sticks for a sticky mash.
what should i use for a mashy mash then?"You wanna' picture of the Mona bleedin' Lisa? No need to get all technical mate it's only art, just buy some f'kin Crayolas and draw one"
Cream for a creamy mash is a genius tip though.
Pro-tip: Use butter for a buttery mash, use potatoes for a potatoey mash, and use sticks for a sticky mash.
Mobile Chicane said:
A potato ricer is a good buy.
It's also very useful for things like celeriac / sweet potato mashes which are nigh-on impossible to get the lumps out of otherwise.
Considering what a great gadget this is, it's surprisingly difficult to find. Larger Tesco / Sainsbury might sell ricers, otherwise it's specialist kitchen shops / online only.
I bought my ricer from Tesco Extra.It's also very useful for things like celeriac / sweet potato mashes which are nigh-on impossible to get the lumps out of otherwise.
Considering what a great gadget this is, it's surprisingly difficult to find. Larger Tesco / Sainsbury might sell ricers, otherwise it's specialist kitchen shops / online only.
The Spruce goose said:
I add garlic segments boiled with the potatoes, use double cream for indulgence along with lots of pepper.
Or a clove or 2 of roasted garlic 
For pommes puree top end restaurants use rotary mouli's to rice the spuds, then scrape the riced potatoes through a drum sieve.
Finish by adding a ton of butter, double cream (or full-fat milk) & loads of salt & some freshly ground white pepper.
You'd cringe if you knew how much butter went into the average meal at a French cuisine restaurant.
At home I just use something like a Desiree or Rooster spud.
Peel it & chop into fairly large chunks. Bigger than you'd think - about 1.5 inch squares.
Put in a pan with plenty of salted cold water. Bring up to the boil rapidly. When you reach a rolling boil, turn the gas back down, so that it's on a gentle simmer.
Use a tablespoon to remove the scum that accumulates. You should only need to do this once or twice during cooking.
Test the spuds with a sharp knife. 7 or 8 minutes from boiling point should be plenty. As soon as they seem virtually cooked, strain them. The #1 mistake is that people cook the potato chunks until soft. That can give you gluey, watery mash.
No need for any fancy tricks if you don't overcook the potato. To be honest, most chefs will intentionally undercook the chunks. It doesn't matter so long as they're not raw.
Once strained thoroughly put the chunks through a ricer over a warm pan with a little milk or cream & butter already in.
When you've riced them all, add the correct amount of butter & milk/cream to achieve the right texture, then finish by seasoning at the end.
Some people suggest adding egg yolks, but there is absolutely no need for that.
Edited by zygalski on Sunday 18th March 15:04
If I am in the mood for mash I get floury potatoes and bake them in their skins and roast some garlic alongside. Once done I scoop out the flesh and pass it through a ricer and put the garlic through a crusher and add it to the potato. Add in butter (more than you think you might need) and then gradually add the whole milk until you get a good consistency. If i am feeling very decadent I add a good amount of Cornish Cruncher cheese to the above. Mmmmmm
Many good tips.
Tip for the averagely equipped kitchen: if your mash is lumpy after you've used a masher (probably cos you've used waxy spuds) push them thro' a sieve with a spoon. If the resultant mash is a bit cold pt back in a pan on lowish heat and warm while stirring every few seconds to avoid burning - warming mash this way won't be a problem if you've used plenty of butter.
Tip for the averagely equipped kitchen: if your mash is lumpy after you've used a masher (probably cos you've used waxy spuds) push them thro' a sieve with a spoon. If the resultant mash is a bit cold pt back in a pan on lowish heat and warm while stirring every few seconds to avoid burning - warming mash this way won't be a problem if you've used plenty of butter.
Why not just boil till soft, drain and return to the heat to dry for a few minutes add butter, you decide how much you need. Mash this and then add milk or cream. Finally grate in some nutmeg. Makes simple mash.
If having beef sausages substitute the nutmeg for horseradish sauce for a spicy mash.
If having beef sausages substitute the nutmeg for horseradish sauce for a spicy mash.
If you cook until soft you've already overcooked the potatoes.
You then either have watery, possibly gluey mash or have to spend extra time correcting the mistake by removing the excess water by cooking them dry.
If you want to get all Heston, then overcooking ruptures the cell walls & the starch inside is released. Too much starch = wallpaper paste mash.
Don't believe me? Fine. Try cooking until soft & then putting the mushy chunks in a food processor. Glue central! This is the ultimate spud sin. No potato should end its life this way.
To get light, fluffy mash (and as a time-saver) always avoid overcooking before the mashing/ricing stage.
You then either have watery, possibly gluey mash or have to spend extra time correcting the mistake by removing the excess water by cooking them dry.
If you want to get all Heston, then overcooking ruptures the cell walls & the starch inside is released. Too much starch = wallpaper paste mash.
Don't believe me? Fine. Try cooking until soft & then putting the mushy chunks in a food processor. Glue central! This is the ultimate spud sin. No potato should end its life this way.
To get light, fluffy mash (and as a time-saver) always avoid overcooking before the mashing/ricing stage.
w00tman said:
Well, it's the same application to anything.
"You wanna' picture of the Mona bleedin' Lisa? No need to get all technical mate it's only art, just buy some f'kin Crayolas and draw one"
Cream for a creamy mash is a genius tip though.
Pro-tip: Use butter for a buttery mash, use potatoes for a potatoey mash, and use sticks for a sticky mash.
Cream for creamy mash as opposed to milk, or is that too difficult to understand?"You wanna' picture of the Mona bleedin' Lisa? No need to get all technical mate it's only art, just buy some f'kin Crayolas and draw one"
Cream for a creamy mash is a genius tip though.
Pro-tip: Use butter for a buttery mash, use potatoes for a potatoey mash, and use sticks for a sticky mash.
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