melted mozzarella cheese (there are some recipes, like the famously elastic pommes aligot, that require you to beat your potatoes into stretchy oblivion) Whipping the potatoes with an electric mixer will develop some starchiness but still keep the potatoes creamy Potatoes whipped in the food processor become gummy • Soaking and/or rinsing the potatoes can help you reduce the amount of starch that remains on them Cutting potatoes into smaller pieces before cooking and rinsing them under cold water will wash away much of the excess starch But there is a downside to soaking—it rinses away some of the enzymes necessary to properly break down pectin Soak your potatoes for too long or cut them too small before soaking, and they’ll never soften, no matter how long you boil them So, just by knowing these factors, we should be able to determine the best way to get either style of mashed potatoes Cream of the Crop Ultracreamy mashed potatoes are really more of a French thing than an American one, and if you want to be fancy, you can call them pommes puree The goal is to get them superrich but not heavy or leaden This requires some careful cooking to allow just enough starch to be released to give the potatoes the right texture, but not so much that they turn gluey The best way I’ve found to this is to boil medium-starch potatoes (like Yukon Golds) just until tender enough to be pierced with a cake tester or paring knife with no resistance Starting them in cold water helps them cook more evenly, as well as strengthening some of their pectin, which keeps them from totally falling apart in the water I tried several methods for pureeing the potatoes, including pressing them through a tamis (lots of work), throwing them straight into a stand mixer (they never get smooth), and using the food processor (really, really bad idea) The best and easiest method is to just pass them through a ricer into the bowl of a stand mixer You don’t even need to peel them After that, I whisk them on high speed with the paddle attachment, adding melted butter, heavy cream, salt, and pepper If I’m not serving vegetarians, I also like to add a bit of chicken stock, which gives the puree an intensely savory quality (don’t give away the secret) On to the second variety ... including pressing them through a tamis (lots of work), throwing them straight into a stand mixer (they never get smooth), and using the food processor (really, really bad idea) The best and easiest... Starting them in cold water helps them cook more evenly, as well as strengthening some of their pectin, which keeps them from totally falling apart in the water I tried several methods for pureeing the. .. can call them pommes puree The goal is to get them superrich but not heavy or leaden This requires some careful cooking to allow just enough starch to be released to give the potatoes the right texture, but not so much that they