How to Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving (Michelin Star) | Made to Order | Bon Appétit

Quick Overview

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten demonstrates his simple yet elegant recipe for perfect mashed potatoes, which involves pressure cooking Yukon Gold potatoes in an Instant Pot for only six minutes before passing them through a ricer and finishing with cultured butter, heavy cream, salt, and pepper.

Key Points: Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten prepares his signature mashed potatoes using an Instant Pot for fast and flavorful cooking. The recipe calls for Yukon Gold potatoes, which are pressure cooked for exactly 6 minutes to ensure they remain firm and do not absorb too much water. After cooking, the potatoes are passed through a ricer (using a larger hole grid for a less gummy texture) into a copper pot. The riced potatoes are enriched with cold cultured butter, heavy cream, salt, and freshly ground pepper. The chef emphasizes that using cold butter and cream prevents the potatoes from becoming gluey, achieving a very smooth texture. The resulting mashed potatoes are rich, flavorful, and ready to serve, optionally topped with extra butter and pepper. The chef mentions his New York restaurant, Jean-Georges, has earned two Michelin Stars.

Context: Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, an acclaimed chef with restaurants across the globe including Jean-Georges in New York City (a two-Michelin-star establishment), demonstrates a surprisingly simple method for creating high-quality mashed potatoes using a modern kitchen appliance, the Instant Pot, contrasting it with traditional methods.

Detailed Analysis

Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten introduces his method for making perfect mashed potatoes, leveraging the speed of an Instant Pot pressure cooker. He starts by peeling and roughly chopping about two pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes, noting that this variety travels well from Shanghai to Paris to London to New York and maintains good texture. He places the potatoes into the Instant Pot liner, adds a quart and a half of water and one teaspoon of salt, and sets the pressure cooker to cook for precisely 6 minutes on high pressure. He explains that pressure cooking is fast and preserves the flavor better than boiling because nothing evaporates. After the 6 minutes, he allows a natural pressure release before opening the pot. The cooked potatoes are then drained and immediately passed through a potato ricer directly into a copper pot. The chef prefers using the ricer, especially with the larger grid setting, to avoid a gummy texture. He then incorporates the richness by adding cold, cubed cultured butter and heavy cream, mixing gently with a spatula until smooth. He seasons with salt (which was also added to the cooking water) and freshly ground black pepper, tasting a spoonful to check seasoning. The final product is a creamy, flavorful mash, which he serves in a decorative bowl, topping it with a pat of butter and more pepper, concluding that the key is using the right potato and achieving the perfect smooth texture.