When he thinks about the recipe that really represents decadent comfort, Chef Carlos Baez barely hesitates before he says, Potatoes Robuchon.
The executive chef at Mr. Crisp learned the recipe for the potato dish credited to famed French chef Joël Robuchon while cooking at Abattoir in Atlanta. His mentor, chef Josh Hopkins, showed him how to make it, and Baez was drawn both to the flavor and creaminess of the recipe, but also to the process.
The potato recipe uses just four ingredients, and it is the technique that imparts the resulting silky potatoes that are at once rich and light.
Chef Carlos Baez, executive chef at Mr. Crisp learned the recipe for the potato dish credited to famed French chef Joël Robuchon while cooking at Abattoir in Atlanta.
By Lillia Callum-Penso and Abigail White
“One thing that drew me to the dish is not just how incredibly delicious it was, but the fact you had to follow every step correctly, and if you did anything wrong, you could tell,” Baez said.
The technique involves gently simmering whole potatoes with the skin on and then peeling them immediately while they are hot. This is important for flavor and texture.
Next key is butter. Baez uses unsalted European butter, which has a creaminess he prizes, especially for recipes like this. And the quality of butter is key because there is a lot of it. The recipe uses a 2-to-1 ratio of potatoes to butter, which is why it is so creamy.
“Fat is flavor,” Baez said.
For the recipe, Chef Carlos Baez prefers Plugra, a European-style butter that has a higher butterfat content.
Lillia Callum-Penso/Staff
Baez, who grew up in Atlanta, found his way to cooking when he was in middle and high school. His parents both worked and needed help getting dinner ready. Baez started experimenting with the recipes and grew to love the creation process.
It was having children that pushed the chef and his wife, Kendall, a pastry chef, to move to Greenville in 2019. Kendall makes the desserts for Mr. Crisp, while Baez has put his touch on the savory side of the menu, drawing from both his Puerto Rican heritage and his culinary journey over the past two decades.
While Baez features Potatoes Robuchon at Mr. Crisp here and there, given the dish’s richness, it pairs best with a rich steak rather than a delicate fish, he said.