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Thanksgiving: Whipped Potatoes

Source of Recipe

From "Cook's Illustrated All Time Best Holiday Entertaining"


Recipe Introduction

"These whipped potatoes yield the lightest, most ethereally fluffy side of spuds you've ever tasted, making them perfect for pairing with all of your holiday favorites. We rinsed the potatoes before cooking to remove their surface starch, the main culprit behind gummy mashed potatoes. Steaming—rather than boiling—the potatoes kept them from absorbing extra liquid. A quick toss in the pot dried the potatoes further, so that they whipped up to maximum fluffiness in the mixer. Since the texture of the potatoes was already creamy, we used a mixture of melted butter and whole milk, rather than heavy cream, to moisten and flavor the potatoes. Do not attempt to cook the potatoes in a pot smaller than 12 quarts; if you don't have a large enough pot, use two smaller pots and cook the potatoes in two simultaneous batches. If your steamer basket has short legs (under 1 ¾ inches), the potatoes will sit in water as they cook and get wet. To prevent this, use balls of aluminum foil as steamer basket stilts. A stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment yields the smoothest potatoes, but you can also use a handheld mixer and a large bowl."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
â—¦ 2 cups whole milk
â—¦ 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
â—¦ 2 teaspoons salt
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon pepper


Recipe

Rinse potatoes in colander under cold water until water runs clear, about 1 minute; drain well. Fill 12-quart Dutch oven with 1 inch water and bring to boil. Place steamer basket in pot, add potatoes, and cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk, butter, salt, and pepper in small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking until smooth, about 3 minutes; cover and keep warm.

Carefully pour potatoes into colander, drain well, then return to pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until potatoes are thoroughly dried, about 1 minute.

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip half of potatoes into small pieces on low speed, about 30 seconds. Add half of milk mixture in steady stream until incorporated. Increase speed to high and whip until potatoes are light and fluffy and no lumps remain, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer to large, warm serving bowl and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining potatoes and milk mixture. Serve.

Serves 12



• To make ahead:
Peeled and cut potatoes can be refrigerated, submerged in water, for up to 24 hours. Drain potatoes before proceeding with recipe. Whipped potatoes, covered, can be held at room temperature for up to 20 minutes.