Top chef Sauli Kemppainen advises how the potato tastes best.
Potatoes should be eaten with their shells. Adobe Stock / AOP
Influenced in Germany in recent years and founded the Michelin restaurant Savu Sauli Kemppainen In the second autumn, he left Berlin and moved to Finland with his family. Kemppainen took over the lunch restaurant Badit.
Kemppainen is currently working on its new restaurant, which will open in mid-August. It is located in the renewed Konepaja area of Helsinki.
Kemppainen has always valued potatoes and been interested in growing them.
Whatever the variety of potatoes, Kemppainen has one essential tip for making them: leave the peel on the potato.
– The peel contains a third of the potato flavor. Don’t peel the potatoes unless you want to throw away the tastiest part. A small thing has a big impact. For example, if you fry potato peelings, you will notice how shockingly good they taste, Kemppainen glows.
The potatoes are washed well before cooking, so even a dirty potato is not a problem. So the potato should always be cooked with its peel.
Kemppainen would also not be slicing the potatoes to be cooked, because then the boiling water can be absorbed inside the potato.
Unless it is specifically a wish. But in that case, the boiling water should contain chicken, meat or vegetable broth, so that the potato is absorbed in good taste.
– I boil potatoes at home often in lean chicken broth. But be careful with the broth. It must not be too strong, Kemppainen guides.
Potatoes cooked in broth also emphasize the other taste of the food. If a roast is available, its cooking broth can be poured into the potato pot with water to impart flavor. However, keep in mind that the amount of broth should not be exaggerated, as the potato must taste like potatoes even after cooking.
The broth is a great tip even when making mashed potatoes. In this case, no more milk is added to the mousse. And you can replace half of the butter – or even completely – with olive oil.
– It’s super good.
Meat broth cubes have been with Kemppainen for some time now, as good ready-made broths are now available in stores.
According to Kemppainen, potatoes should be cooked as carefully as pasta. The timer can also be used for potato cooking. Sure, the potatoes are different sizes, but then it only helps to test the ripeness several times.
The story was first published in March 2021.