We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how water might not be the best liquid to boil your spuds in when making mash.
We’ve even shared the secret method a potato pro uses to ensure her jacket taters come out perfectly crispy and fluffy every time.
But does Gordon Ramsay ― the culinary legend and telly icon ― have anything else to add to the carby convo?
Predictably, the Michelin-starred chef has a trick up his sleeve when it comes to achieving silky-smooth spuds ― and it starts way before he so much as takes out his chopping board.
What’s his secret?
Though conventional wisdom holds that fluffy, “floury” potatoes ― like a Maris Piper or King Edward ― are best for mash, Gordon opts for a waxier spud.
Examples of “waxy” potatoes include Charlotte, Jersey Royals, and even baby new potatoes.
Sainsbury’s shared on its site that potatoes like these are typically “great for salads and as new potatoes” because they “hold their shape”.
Meanwhile the “dry, floury texture” of species like Maris Pipers “make this variety perfect for chips, roasties, baking and mash,” the supermarket asserts.
Well, not if you ask Gordon.
In his MasterClass tutorial for pomme purée (an extra-velvety, super-creamy and smooth type of French mash), the chef said, “The secret behind any great mash is in the waxy potato.”
What? Why?
I wish I was exaggerating when I say that I gasped out loud at the advice.
But the cooking pro explained that waxy spuds “hold the most amazing amount of cream and butter.”
The site explains that “When Chef Gordon Ramsay learned to perfect pomme purée in Paris, the mix was about 60% potato and 40% butter and cream.”
But, “If you use dense, waxy potatoes and cook them following Gordon’s modernised method, you can up the potato flavour and only use about 10% fat.”
That’s because “Waxy potatoes are high in moisture, low in starch, and maintain a dense texture well when cooked,” they explain.
With that said, the recipe goes on to recommend “Yukon or Kennebec” spuds, which are more of a midpoint between floury and waxy than they are outright waxy.
They’re certainly less fluffy than a Maris Piper, but don’t go chopping very young baby news for your next plate of mash (unless you really want to test the chef’s theory to its limits).
But if you feel like adapting his wisdom, something like a Charlotte or Jersey Royal potato might just be your best bet for the creamiest mash you’ve ever had...