Are these the best mash potatoes you’ve ever seen? The secret is in the cooking AND the cooling…
Peel 1kg of Maris Pipers, chop in half and bring up to the boil in salted water, letting them simmer for 40 minutes or until soft. Test with a fork. Once they start breaking apart, drain the water and then place the potatoes in a bowl of iced water. Leave them to cool for 30 mins. Once cool, place them in the freezer for no more than 15 minutes. The freezing atmosphere makes any remaining water rise to the surface leaving mostly pure potatoes and no added water.
Once the ice crystals appear, use a parmesan shaver to remove the top 2-3 millimetres of the potato/ice crust.
Place the potatoes in a bowl of 2 pints of whole milk for 48 hours. The potatoes will soak up all of the milk, giving a velvety and creamy texture. Once absorbed, pass the potatoes through a ricer to make them as fine as a paste as possible. Add 100g of unpasturised butter (any brand will do, I use one from the local village shop).
Mix thoroughly then place in a lightly buttered pan over gentle heat for 10-15 minutes until the mash is piping hot. Stir continuously to make sure it doesn’t stick. To achieve the perfect consistency, dollop the mash into muslin cloth and press though with the back of a ladle.
Delicious!
