Potatoes

Potato purée is used as a thickener for sauces and cooking liquids. It is also used as the base for thick strongly flavored sauces, especially those containing garlic, such as Skorthaliá. In hot sauces, it is often used in conjunction with cream and butter, but it can also be used alone. Sauces thickened with potato purée lack the perfectly smooth texture of starch-thickened sauces or of sauces thickened with cream and butter. Potato purée does, however, give a sauce a satisfying subtlety and depth of flavor without being too rich. Sauces that have been lightly thickened with potato purée can also be strained through a chinois to eliminate some of its mealy texture. The best potatoes for making purées for sauces are Yukon Golds or Yellow Finns.