• Profile photo of Beatriz Torija

      Beatriz Torija posted an update

      a year ago

      Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

      Mashed potatoes with torreznos, crispy revolconas potatoes and burnt chive oil

      #PotatoChallenge

      Ingredients: ratte potatoes (for the mashed potatoes), kennebec potatoes (for the scrambled potatoes), butter, whole milk, salt, black pepper, paprika, bay leaf, garlic, cumin, extra virgin olive oil, torreznos, chives

      Techniques: vacuum, low temperature, traditional cooking, ‘strainer technique’, sieving, candied, frying, dehydrated, infused in oil, flame-burned

      Even a simple and humble mashed potato can hide a lot of technique and science behind it. I wanted to pay homage to the traditional mashed potato, and make it the center and protagonist of the dish, not a mere accompaniment. For that, the mashed potato has to be perfect, silky smooth and extraordinarily creamy. For this, I cooked it following the techniques of two great chefs.

      I made the mashed potato following the technique of Joel Robuchon, father of Nouvelle Cuisine and who managed to elevate this recipe to the category of haute cuisine. His is the so-called ‘strainer technique’, which is to slowly pass the potatoes once cooked with a fine potato masher and manipulating it as little as possible to break as few granules as possible and then add the fats afterwards (milk and butter) so that the released starch does not form a sticky puree.

      But before cooking the potatoes in water in the traditional way, I cooked them at low temperature, under vacuum. British chef Heston Blumenthal discovered that vacuum cooking pre-gelatinizes potatoes. For Blumenthal, the real secret to making perfect mashed potatoes lies in applying a heat treatment to the potatoes before cooking in order to gelatinize the starch and stabilize the granules.

      To accompany the protagonist of the dish, crispy torreznos (first confit, then fried), a crispy revolconas potato crisp (for this I have dehydrated traditional revolconas potato slices) and a burnt chive oil (the chives are burnt in the flame).

      Translated from Spanish
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      Betza Medina, Kim pho and 7 others
      14 Comments
      • Level: level 3 sous 3 Sous Chef

        Who knew mashed potatoes could be this sophisticated? 😍 You’ve truly turned this humble dish into a star with all that technique and science behind it.And those crispy torreznos and revolconas chips… pure perfection. 🤤 The burnt chive oil adds such a unique twist! You’ve got a dish that’s nothing short of extraordinary! This is definitely a dish that celebrates both tradition and innovation. ✨

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        • Beatriz Torija (edited)
          Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

          @undefined extraordinaire is you!!!! 💝💫 it’s not the mashed potatoes I will make when I have little time to improvise a dinner… but it is from time to time, when I have guests on special occasions. And most of all, I loved the process and I had fun 🥰.

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          Translated from Spanish
          a year ago
      • Level: favicon spaced Scoolinary Team

        hey, what a delicious dish! I loved how you managed to combine such careful techniques for something that is sometimes taken for simple as a mashed potato.

        I can see the love and respect for the product in every detail, and that presentation on the plate looks beautiful, with colors and textures that invite you to try it.

        Bea, I found it very interesting to dehydrate the revolcona potato slices, I have never tried it that way… how does it taste and texture? Thanks for sharing! ❤️

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        Translated from Spanish
        a year ago
        • Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

          @undefined thanks Sussan… the truth is that it was delicious, nothing to do with the mashed potatoes that I usually make, and it is delicious in itself.

          Getting the texture of the revolconas was what cost me the most, in fact it came out on the second try. I had to dehydrate for a longer time and reduce the amount of oil during the preparation of the potatoes. In the end it came out well: crispy and with the original flavor of the revolconas 😊.

          Translated from Spanish
          a year ago
        • Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

          A very technical dish, the softness of the velvety potato is wonderful. It is eaten without feeling, a delicacy for the palate

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          Translated from Spanish
          a year ago
          • Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

            @undefined yes, it’s one of those simple dishes that I love 🥰.

            Translated from Spanish
            a year ago
          • Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

            A delightful dish. Something so simple but taken to another level. You have excelled yourself girl👏👏👏

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            Translated from Spanish
            a year ago
          • Level: favicon spaced Scoolinary Team

            The photo is so beautiful that I’m a little speechless… and then I read the technique, and there’s no turning back: this is haute cuisine in every stroke!

            You have turned a mashed potato into a centerpiece with character and delicacy, playing between science and emotion. The reference to Robuchon and Blumenthal not only elevates the technical discourse, but applies it with rigor and respect. The texture of the puree says it all: silky, firm, pure.
            The plating… is a spectacle in itself. The color contrast of the turquoise plate with the golden warmth of the crunchies and the snowy white of the puree is pure visual art. The torreznos, millimetrically arranged, balance rusticity and precision. And that burnt chive oil: little green glints that tell another layer of flavor.
            what was the most challenging thing for you in preparing this dish with so many technical layers?

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            Translated from Spanish
            a year ago
            • Level: level 4 executive chef 2 Executive Chef

              @soldamiani thank you Sol!!! I am very happy because I think I achieved my goal: that the mashed potato was no longer an accompaniment or garnish, but the protagonist, the centerpiece of a dish.

              And as for the most challenging part: it was the crispy revolconas potatoes, which did not turn out well, and I had to make them twice. They were not crispy at all and a bit greasy… now I understand it, when the moisture evaporated in the dehydrator, the fat from the oil appeared and it was not pleasant. I started from scratch, I prepared the potatoes revolconas of traditional foema, but with zero fat, and dehydrated a little longer … and they were perfect. 🥰

              Translated from Spanish
              a year ago
              • Level: favicon spaced Scoolinary Team

                @beatriztorijagmail-com That’s what makes the difference! Detecting a fault, understanding why, and fine-tuning until it works: pure technical mastery and culinary sensibility. 🙌 did you try applying a pre-drying in a gentle oven or even a very thin layer of starch before dehydrating? Sometimes it helps to create a film that promotes crispiness without excess fat. It would be interesting to see if that further enhances your result. your approach is total creative lab, and it shows in every detail!

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                Translated from Spanish
                a year ago

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