Chantilly Potatoes

By Patlynn

We found starchy russet potatoes produced stiff Chantilly Potatoes, which just weren’t right for this dish. We preferred more waxy Yukon Gold potatoes that yielded a softer mash. For a lighter, drier texture, we microwaved the potatoes, pureed them with a ricer for a smooth, airy base, and then microwaved them once again to reheat.

The hallmark of Chantilly Potatoes is a rich topping of whipped cream and cheese, but our whipped topping quickly melted under the intense heat of the broiler. We tried adding several ingredients to stabilize the topping, with discouraging results—that is, until we tried mixing some of the whipped cream directly in with the potatoes.

Ingredients

• If you don't have a ricer, mash the potatoes in step 1. This recipe can be doubled and assembled in a broiler-safe 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
• Ingredients
• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups (about 3 ounces) grated Gruyére or Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

1. MICROWAVE POTATOES Place potatoes in large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic. Microwave on high until tender, 8 to 12 minutes, shaking bowl halfway through cooking. Set ricer over second large microwave-safe bowl, press potatoes into bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave riced potatoes until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


2. WHIP CREAM Adjust oven rack to upper-third position and heat broiler. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold two-thirds of whipped cream into potatoes with rubber spatula until absorbed. Dollop potatoes in broiler-safe 8-inch square baking dish.


3. BROIL With rubber spatula, fold 1 1/4 cups cheese into remaining cream. Spread over potatoes and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Broil until top is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Let rest about 4 minutes. Serve.



Creaminess Guaranteed


For Chantilly potatoes that are creamy from top to bottom, we use the whipped cream in both top and bottom.


1. FOLD We fold some of the whipped cream into the potatoes to make them light and creamy.



2. DOLLOP We gently dollop the potatoes into the baking dish to avoid deflating the potato layer.



3. SPREAD We top with a layer of whipped cream and cheese, then broil the Chantilly until it browns.