Potatoes Chantilly

This classic French mashed potato dish, called Pommes de Terre Chantilly, involves folding whipped cream into riced potatoes and then baking to finish. You can optionally top the baked mashed potatoes with cheese and chives and perhaps some smoked paprika, but that’s a personal preference. The key element to the recipe is using the right the kind of potato, you want potatoes that are low in starch and the best one to use from a common American grocery story is Yukon Gold. In France they grow low starch potatoes just for recipes like this, but no such luck state side. Avoid using Russet potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes (40 oz.) – peeled and cubed
  • 6 TBL butter – softened
  • 2 TBL kosher salt
  • 2 oz cheese, finely grated (~1/2 cup) – Parmesan is good
  • 2 TBL chives – optional – chopped
  • 4 oz. whole milk
  • 8 oz. heavy cream – cold

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients in advance.
  2. Prepare Potatoes
    1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes.
    2. Place potatoes and salt in large saucepan, and cover 1″ with cold water. Note: potatoes finish better if you start them in cold water.
    3. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer until the potatoes are very tender ~15 mins. Make sure potatoes are cooked through, there’s no going back.
    4. Drain and set aside to cool enough to process.
    5. Pass potatoes through a ricer, sieve, or food mill and into a large bowl. If you don’t have a ricer, sieve, or food mill, mash them.
    6. Add the butter and whole milk, then mix well.
  3. Make Whipped Cream
    1. Pour cold heavy cream into the chilled mixing bowl and whip on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks, ~4 mins.
  4. Assembly
    1. Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the potatoes to soften.
    2. Gently fold remaining whipped cream into the potatoes with a rubber spatula.
    3. Transfer to a greased baking dish, sprinkle with the optional cheese and chives. Another option to add some flare is to dust with paprika.
  5. Bake until the potatoes are warmed through and the cheese is lightly browned, ~25 mins. If you don’t want the cheese to brown, cover dish with foil.
  6. Let rest 10 minutes before serving so you don’t burn your guest’s mouths.

Note: This dish can easily be made in small dishes as individual servings for a dinner party but that depends on how you plan to plate.

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