Potato Souffle

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to grease the souffle dishes, plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus an additional 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter to brush souffle tops (about 3/4 cup total)
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 pounds potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed well
• 2/3 cup warm milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, plus 1 additional egg yolk
• 1/2 pound Cambazola blue cheese, cut into 8 equal pieces see Cook's Note*
• Paprika, to top souffles

Directions

Special equipment: a potato ricer or food mill, 8 (4-ounce) ramekins

Remove the top oven rack and place a rack on the bottom 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease the ramekins with the 3 tablespoons of butter. Dust the inside of the dish with the bread crumbs (see Cook's Note**).

Place the unpeeled potatoes in a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue simmering for about 30 minutes or until fork tender. Drain.

Carefully peel the potatoes while they're hot. Cut them into large chunks; while still hot mash by running them through a ricer/food mill. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the butter, and the warm milk. Season, to taste. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk.

Carefully peel the potatoes while they're hot. Cut them into large chunks; while still hot mash by running them through a ricer/food mill. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the butter, and the warm milk. Season, to taste. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk.

Fill each of the 8 ramekins halfway with the potato mixture. Make an indentation in the potato layer, pushing the potato up along the souffle dish wall. Fill the indentation with a portion of the Cambazola cheese. Equally divide the remaining potato mixture among the 8 ramekins, mounding the mixture above the top of the dish.

Place a small amount of butter on top of each souffle and dust with paprika. Place souffles on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Increase the temperature to 425 degrees F and continue baking for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Cook's Note: *Leave the rind on the cheese. We found that blue cheeses other than Cambazola didn't create as nice a texture. **Use a butter wrapper or a little piece of parchment paper to keep your hands clean while smearing the softened butter in the souffle dish. This coating technique is called "chemise."