These Creamy Lobster Mashed Potatoes With A Rich Beer Butter Sauce Are A Foodie's Dream

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Mashed potatoes are easily at the top of the list when it comes to comfort foods, but if you want to add a touch of pizzaz, look no further than recipe developer Patterson Watkins' lobster mashed potatoes with beurre bier blanc. You read that right. It's not just beurre blanc sauce — Watkins adds a twist with witbier or hefeweizen beer. It's the perfect hot-weather indulgence with the beer butter sauce drizzled over the decadent lobster and creamy mashed potatoes.

"Witbier and hefeweizen beer are a citrusy, vibrant, coriander-y wonder," Watkins shares. "Those beery elements really liven up the otherwise heavy, rich butter sauce, adding some surprising tartness that balances really well." And to create a "tasty cohesiveness with an elevated appeal," the potatoes are cooked in a delicious lobster broth. The inspiration for this quirky mashup comes from Watkins' time working at a busy seafood restaurant in Cape Cod, where she would hastily combine similar food components to scarf down.

If you have leftovers, keep all the components separate when reheating on the stovetop, and only combine afterward. Add a bit of cream or leftover lobster broth when reheating the mashed potatoes, and warm the lobster in a skillet over medium-low heat with olive oil or butter. Don't simmer or boil the sauce when reheating and whisk frequently. If the sauce starts to separate, add a little cream to it. This hearty dish tastes good even when reheated.

This recipe requires a handful of ingredients. To make the lobster and broth, you'll need to run to the store and get a whole live lobster, celery stalks, a carrot, shallots, garlic, salt, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and fresh tarragon. For the mashed potatoes, pick up yellow potatoes, heavy cream, salted butter, salt, and pepper. Next, for the beurre bier blanc, get a witbier or hefeweizen beer, lemon juice, heavy cream, shallots, garlic, and salted butter. Finally, to garnish the dish, use sweet paprika, fresh tarragon, and fresh chives.

Get started on the lobster by removing any restraints on it. Place the lobster in a large pot.

Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the lobster.

Add the celery, carrot, shallot, garlic, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and tarragon and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the lobster is bright red and cooked through.

Remove the lobster to set aside and cool.

To make the mashed potatoes, discard the veggies and peppercorns from the broth and return the pot of broth to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, add the potatoes.

Reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.

While the potatoes are cooking, deshell the lobster when cool enough to handle.

Cut the tail meat, and if desired, the claw and knuckle meat, into bite-sized pieces.

Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat. Reserve half a cup of broth from the pot before draining.

Return the potatoes to the empty pot. Add the heavy cream, butter, reserved broth, and salt and pepper.

Use a potato masher on the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Moving on to the beurre bier blanc, in a medium skillet, add beer, lemon juice, heavy cream, shallots, and garlic. Whisk to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Continue to simmer the liquid until it has reduced by three-quarters.

Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the butter 2 tablespoons at a time until blended and emulsified.

To serve, divide the mashed potatoes between bowls.

Top the potatoes with the lobster meat.

Drizzle the lobster and potatoes with the beurre bier blanc.

Sprinkle paprika, tarragon, and chives on top for garnishing.

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If you've never worked with lobsters before, it can look a little intimidating with its hard shell and claws. But all you need are some heavy-duty kitchen scissors and a nutcracker or a heavy-duty chef's knife to deshell it. "The tail, knuckles, and claws contain our lobster meat payday," Watkins says. 

First, tackle the lobster tail by cutting through the shell with the scissors and pulling it apart, like opening a book, to remove the meat. Next, crack open the claws and knuckles with a nutcracker or the back of a heavy-duty chef's knife. Then, depending on your craftiness, you can use your fingers or a small utensil to scoop out the meat. 

And, if you don't like the idea of handling a live lobster, replace it with an already-cooked whole lobster. You won't want to boil the whole lobster, though, or else the meat will be overcooked. Instead, deshell the lobster and set the meat aside. Add the shell pieces to the broth and let simmer for 10 minutes longer than the recipe calls for to get the maximum flavor. Later, strain the broth to remove any little bits of shell. 

Rich and creamy butter sauces, like beurre blanc, often require a careful balance of heat, whisking, and time so that they hold together. This beurre bier blanc recipe is no different. "Low and slow and patient is the name of this game," Watkins says. "If you flood your sauce with butter, it will break." To prevent this from happening, introduce the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time while continuously whisking to keep the sauce smooth.

It's also important that you reduce the sauce by three-quarters before adding the butter. If you can't quite visualize what that would look like, Watkins' trick is to note where the liquid sits in the cookware at the beginning, using the rivets that connect the handle as a guide. She says, "I estimate where three-quarters would be and wait patiently." Remember to remove the skillet from the heat when you incorporate the butter.

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