Serves 4-6

Making a perfect potato purée starts with choosing the right potato that holds its texture and absorbs a lot of cream and butter without “splitting” - when I worked for Joel Robuchon he was famed for his pomme purée, and it was only 30 per cent potato. For the best flavour, boil the potatoes in their skins, peel while hot wearing rubber gloves, then push them through a wire drum sieve. You could also achieve a similar texture with a mouli or old-fashioned potato “ricer”. Don’t be tempted to whiz the potatoes in a food processor, though, or you’ll end up with a gluey goo. Whichever method you use, the secret is to work it when it’s warm and starchy - it’s when it goes cold that it will become lumpy. So if you are running a bit behind, don’t be afraid to wrap it up in a warm cloth or put clingfilm over it - anything to keep it warm.

1kg medium Desiree potatoes, unpeeled
but washed
200ml double cream
Up to 90g butter, cut into small cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes until tender, then drain. Allow to cool a little, then, wearing rubber gloves, peel off the skins and cut the potatoes into large chunks.
2 Return the potatoes to the heat to dry off a little, then press through a drum sieve with a bowl scraper or push through a mouli or ricer into a bowl.
3 Meanwhile, boil the cream in a medium pan until reduced by half to 100ml. Beat this cream into the potatoes then gradually mix in the butter, depending on how rich you want it. If you’ve used good-quality spuds you should get the full amount in before it starts to look curdled, ie split. Add flavourings if you want.
4 Check the seasoning. Spoon into a warmed dish, cover and keep warm in a low oven for a few minutes before serving.

FLAVOURINGS TO ADD:

Truffle Add a few drops of truffle oil, and, if you have some, about a teaspoonful of finely chopped fresh truffle.
Fresh basil purée Blanch a fistful of fresh basil in boiling water until limp. Drain and run under cold water to cool, then squeeze dry and whiz in a blender with cream.
Coarse-grain mustard Simply beat in mustard a teaspoonful at a time to taste.
Horseradish As for coarse grain mustard.

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