Anthony Bourdain's Easy Trick for Making the Best Mashed Potatoes Ever

Mashed potatoes are one of my absolute favorite homemade dishes. While I’m always trying new recipes and techniques to improve on them, I had never thought to look to one of the most influential professional chefs of our time—Anthony Bourdain—for mashed potato inspiration.

An act of nostalgia for my own culinary school days had me flipping through Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook recently when I stopped on his recipe for Pommes Purée. The ingredients and directions sounded exactly like classic mashed potatoes, and I had to make them right away. I’m so glad I did because, of course, Anthony Bourdain would change how I make mashed potatoes forever.

What Makes Anthony Bourdain’s Mashed Potatoes the Simplest

Bourdain’s recipe calls for Idaho potatoes. Idaho potatoes are a type of russet potato known for their being fluffy when baked. Here, the lower moisture in the potatoes helps keep them smooth and not gluey when mashed.

A lot of mashed potato recipes call for boiling the potatoes, but I’ve never seen a recipe that specifically calls for keeping the skin on and halving them across their length instead of their width. Once halved, the potatoes are covered in cool water that is generously seasoned—like a whole tablespoon of salt seasoned—and brought to a boil over medium heat. Halving the potatoes seemed to help them cook to tenderness faster and made it easier to remove their skins after draining and before mashing.

Here’s What Makes Anthony Bourdain’s Potatoes the Best

Once the potatoes are cooked and drained, Bourdain has you bring heavy cream and butter to a boil in another pot while the potatoes cool. It honestly seemed like an excess amount of heavy cream for the volume of potatoes, but I stuck to the recipe.

The halved potatoes were easy to slip from their skins and return to the empty pot they were boiled in for mashing. Once the cream mixture boils, you’ll add it a bit at a time while mashing the potatoes. Something about the heat from the cream mixture helps the potatoes become smoother and creamier while mashing. Again, I had a few moments where I doubted Bourdain’s amounts for the cream and butter, but I kept going, and I’m so glad I did.

These were, by far, the most well-seasoned mashed potatoes I’ve ever had in my life without adding any additional salt besides what the potatoes were boiled with. The potatoes were incredibly smooth and creamy without a bit of starchiness. I usually swear by a potato ricer for restaurant-quality mashed potatoes like these, but Bourdain has me falling in love with the simplicity of a masher once again.

The version of these potatoes in the Les Halles Cookbook includes a few variations (chive mashed potatoes, red pepper pommes purée), so it is worth having in your collection, but the classic version is the one I’ll be making again and again.

Anthony Bourdain's Mashed Potatoes

6 russet potatoes, cut in half lengthwise (You don't have to peel them.)
1 tablespoon salt (plus more to taste)
2 cups heavy cream
6 tablespoons butter
Freshly ground black pepper

Place the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to completely cover. Add the salt and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a paring knife.

Drain the potatoes. When they are cool enough to handle—but still hot—slip them from their skins and discard the skins.

In a small pot, combine the cream and butter and bring to a boil.

Return the potatoes to the large pot and mash with a potato masher. Pour in the hot cream mixture in four increments and, each time, mix until combined. Once the potatoes are smooth, add the pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately.

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