Last year Carlo and I went to Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak at MGM and ordered their seasonal tasting menu. The dinner one of the best meals I’ve had in a fancy restaurant on the Strip, and what you would imagine the food would taste like if you are a big fan of Tom on Top Chef.

While all of the meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned, the stand out dish of the meal was the Potato Puree. These potatoes were the silkiest and most flavourful that I had ever had. They were the equivalent of potato crack, and I half seriously joked with Carlo that I wanted to lick out the last dredges from the dish since they were that good and I had drunk quite a bit of wine that night. A couple of weeks ago, our friend Bethany was in town and graciously took us out to eat at Craftsteak. Once again we got the tasting menu, and thank god, the potato puree was still on the menu!

After falling in love with these potatoes all over again, we knew that we had to try to make them at home. Unfortunately we don’t have a potato ricer, so we had to use a stick blender to puree the potatoes which didn’t result in as fine or silky potatoes as those at Craftsteak, but they were still pretty damn good. I like Tom’s technique of whisking the potatoes and then slowly adding the cream and butter to make them light and fluffy. I think that a potato ricer will definitely have to be on my Christmas list this year so I can perfect these potatoes. This recipe makes enough to for 6 side dishes at $1.22 per serving.

Potato Puree, adapted from Tom Colicchio’s Craft of Cooking
5 pounds yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
salt and white pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
olive oil
chopped fresh chives

Place the unpeeled potatoes in a large pot, and add water to cover them. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and bring the pot to a simmer over a medium heat. Simmer the potatoes until they are tender, around 20 minutes or so.

Drain the potatoes, and then while they are still hot, peel them. To stop the potatoes from burning your hand, hold the potato in a dish towel and use a sharp paring knife. If you don’t want to do this, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to peel the potatoes before you cooked them.

Place the peeled potatoes in a covered bowl so they remain hot. Puree the potatoes with a potato ricer, or immersion blender. Place the potato puree in the pot and whisk the puree with a stiff whisk. Gradually whisk in the milk, cream, and butter, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve the potatoes topped with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped fresh chives.

Other Recession Recipes Potato Recipes:
Twice Baked Potatoes with Cheese and Broccoli