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Potato souffle made with leftover mashed potato

Cooking a soufflé is extremely easy and lots of fun as long as you stick to the basic rules.  The ramekins for example should be prepared correctly — a generous coating of melted butter and fine breadcrumbs inside is necessary to help the soufflé rising much easier. Use a pastry brush to paint the inside of the ramekins with butter and lightly coat with fine breadcrumbs, then place the ramekins in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before use.

The oven needs to be preheated to a high temperature. The soufflés will take anywhere between 7 and 10 minutes even up to 15 minutes to cook, depending on the size. Another rule is to never open the oven door until the end of the cooking process. This will cause the soufflé to fall (deflate) and all your hard work will go to waste.

The eggs are the most important component in the preparation of the soufflé because it is the air trapped inside the egg white what makes the soufflés rise in the oven. The egg whites should be whipped to very stiff peaks, then finally and very gently folded into the base whilst trying to keep as much of the air in as possible.

The baked soufflé should be served immediately before your lovely puffed soufflés starts deflating. It is therefore very important to have everything else you serve with the soufflé ready to be served.

POTATO SOUFFLE

2 tablespoons/30 g butter, plus extra for greasing
3 teaspoons/15 ml fine breadcrumbs for coating the ramekins
1¼ cup/300 g mashed potato (leftover or made from scratch
1⅓ cups/85g cheddar, grated
⅓ cups/30g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons/30 ml fresh chives, finely chopped
2 eggs
freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons/90 ml milk
paprika, for garnish (optional)

  • Preheat the oven to 220ºC/450ºF and put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up.
  • Butter 4 ramekin dishes and dust with breadcrumbs and place in the refrigerator. Do this at least 15 minutes before baking.
  • Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks together with the cheese, chives and black pepper to the mashed potato. Stir very well to combine.
  • In a small pan warm the milk with the butter until the butter melts and pour over the potato mixture. Stir again until totally combine.
  • Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then first fold one third of the egg whites into the potato mixture.
  • Finally, gently fold the rest of the egg white into the potato mixture keeping as much air in as possible.
  • Fill the prepared ramekins with the potato mixture and sprinkle paprika (if using) on top.
  • Place in the oven on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve immediately
For variation and to add extra interest and flavor, add chopped cooked bacon or any other fresh herbs.

 

 

STELLA's avatar

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

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