When I was growing up in the small town of Preignac, in southwest France, the days of the week could be counted in culinary rituals.

Wednesday was the day for la purée de patate. The mashed potatoes were always accompanied by meat. There might be homemade pork confit reheated in its fat or grilled sausages. We were not afraid of fat. Home cooking involved butter and pork or duck fat. Olive oil didn’t arrive in Bordeaux until later.

Milk and butter were brought by what I’ve heard nostalgic Americans call the milkman (ours was a milkmaid, actually) from the farms nearby.

My grandmother took charge of the mashed potatoes, and she let me help her turn the crank of the food mill (using a food mill or ricer makes for the fluffiest, lightest mashed potatoes possible). She indulged me as I made decorations on the potatoes with a fork. Of course there was always a surplus, not needed for my drawings, which was mine to taste.

My grandmother’s recipe for mashed potatoes is timeless. I’m sure potatoes handled just this way are still valued by great Michelin chefs.

Buttery Mashed Potatoes

½ kilo (1.1 lbs.) floury potatoes like russets
120 grams (4 oz.) butter cut into pieces
10 to 20 cl (about ½ cup) whole milk
Salt for the water, and to taste

And as the note on her recipe reads, “You can use less butter, but it won’t taste as good.”