How to make the perfect pommes soufflé

Today we’re going to make the perfect pommes soufflés. They're a little tricky to make, but with some tips and tricks I'm sure you'll get the perfect result every time!

Waxy potato

Egg white

Potato starch

First peel the potato. I use a waxy potato and the bigger, the better. This way you can make bigger pommes souffles and you’ll have less waste. Now slice the potato in thin slices that are around 1 millimeter thin. You can do this on a mandolin or on a slicing machine. Beware that the blade is even and not crooked, otherwise the potato will not souffle. Just apply a light pressure for the best result. Now lay the potato slices in two row opposite on your worktop. Do this so when you place them on top off each other, they will fit perfectly.

Then dust a thin layer of potato starch on top of the top row. I’ve also tried it with normal flour or corn starch, but this doesn’t work as well as potato starch. Now use a brush to remove any excess starch. If you need to repeat it 2 or 3 times. Just be sure it’s super tight. You can keep the remaining potato starch for next time. After that use another brush to add a thin layer of egg white on the bottom row. Then transfer the bottom slice on the top slice with the egg white side facing the potato starch side. Just lay it on top and leaf it be. Don’t press it down, otherwise it will not soufflé as good as it could be.

Then cut it with a cutter. This can be round, square, star shaped.

Any shape or size is possible. Round ones are the easiest. The more corner the difficulted it will get. Then remove the excess potato and use a pallet knife to insure the layers stay on top of each other. Once that’s done transfer the potato on the side of a tray or plate. This will make deep frying them a lot easier. Now transfer a couple of the slices in some frying oil that’s 170 degrees Celsius and once they start to float directly base them with the hot oil. This will help them souffle 100% and give them a nice and even color. Once they stop to bubble take them out of the oil and transfer them on some kitchen paper. You can deep fry as many as you like, the more you do the harder it gets. Just begin with 3 to 5 and build it up when you become more comfortable.

After that season them with salt and give them a little more heat to insure all the moisture is gone. If you don’t do this there’s a chance they will deflate. Now they’re ready to be served. You can serve them like this, but I also love covering them with some herb powder or any other powder. It’s then great to use as a little garnish or as the base of an amuse. Here I filled it with Jerusalem artichoke and decorate it with trout eggs, ginger gel and nasturtium leaf.