Joël Robuchon’s potato puree

Ingredients
2 pounds La Ratte potatoes
3⁄4 to 1 1⁄4 cups whole milk, heated
16 tablespoons of butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
Coarse sea salt to taste

Scrub the potatoes but do not peel them. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and fill with enough cold water to cover by at least 1 inch. For each quart of water, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Simmer, uncovered, over moderate heat for 20 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted into a potato comes out easily. Drain the potatoes as soon as they are cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over high heat. Set aside.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into manageable pieces. Pass the potatoes through the finest grid of a food mill into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan

Place the pan over low heat and, with a wooden spatula, stir the potatoes vigorously to dry them, 4 to 5 minutes.

Now begin adding about three quarters of the butter, little by little, stirring vigorously, until each piece of butter is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture becomes fluffy and light. Slowly add about three quarters of the hot milk in a thin stream, stirring vigorously, until the milk is thoroughly incorporated.

For an extra-fine puree, pass the mixture through a drum sieve into another heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Place over low heat and stir vigorously. If the puree seems a bit heavy and stiff, add additional butter and milk, whisking all the while.

Taste for seasoning

Ingredients for Tartiflette
Serves 4

2 pounds La Ratte potatoes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/4 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
1 round reblochon cheese (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon butter, plus extra to grease the baking dish
1/4 cup cream
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until pierced easily by a fork. Drain. Peel if desired and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan, and cook the onion and bacon until golden. Add the potatoes and toss to mix. Adjust salt if needed and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Grease a baking dish with butter, add the potato mixture and drizzle the cream on top. Lay slices of the reblochon cheese, covering the potatoes. Place in oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and a little browned on top.