Black truffle mashed potatoes
People, I have tried truffles! Well to be more precise, Black Truffle Oil and Truffle Salt [which has rumours to not actually have proper truffles...but I digress]. I will admit that this was my first time -ever- smelling, tasting, & cooking with truffle oil & salt. What an experience! It’s really rather hard to describe my feeling towards truffles. As the gourmet food lover that I am, I suppose you’re thinking…“she’ll love it and praise it and never eat anything else ever again”!Well, my dear friends, I’m going to be honest. I truly don’t know how I feel about truffles yet. At first whiff, I was turned off, but then I wanted to smell again. It was like a train wreck. I can’t look but can’t look away! Yes, I just compared truffles to train wrecks. Oh dear… ok, let’s try this again before the foodists of the world [along with the entire population of France] hunts me down. I really didn’t hate the smell nor the taste, I just found them to be rather pungent and unusual. And quite frankly, I kept going back for more. I do believe I have a certain appreciation for them but it might take some recipe testing to get the best out of them.For our first attempt at using truffles in a dish, we decided upon Black Truffle Mashed Potatoes. Our first batch I do believe had too much oil and salt, but when it came to our second batch [the one used at our Gourmet Club's Parisian Christmas dinner - to be posted soon], we used a more subtle amount and they were much more enjoyable.
Equipment
- 1 pot
- 1 knob
Ingredients
- 4 lbs yukon gold potatoes medium to small in size, peeled
- knob of butter
- black truffle oil drizzle
- truffle salt pinch
Instructions
- Simply boil the peeled potatoes for 20 minutes.
- Remove and drain.
- Chop into smaller chunks and place into a ricer or food mill and puree.
- Gently stir in a knob of butter and drizzle 1/8 teaspoon of black truffle oil.
- Add a pinch of truffle salt and gently stir again to blend well.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Before I share the recipe with you, I just wanted to share a few facts that I’ve learned about our dear friend. The truffle is actually the fruiting body of an underground mushroom, and can be found within the leaf litter and the soil around certain types of trees. They are highly acclaimed in the culinary world and often referred to as “the diamond of the kitchen”. Being one of the most expensive edible delights, the costs will knock your socks off…ranging all the way up to €1,000 per kilo! Ouch! [Hence the truffle oil & salt in my house]. If you’re wondering, yes, I will be cooking with truffle oil & salt again…and perhaps shaved truffles one day!