By Flavor & The Menu
May 6, 2021
Photo credit: Madison Olszewski Mari Katsumura
When Executive Chef Mari Katsumura developed her elegant Wasabi Mashed Potatoes for Yūgen, a modern Japanese fine-dining restaurant, they were an homage to her late father, Yoshi Katsumura. A pioneer of French-Japanese fusion, he was known for his longtime restaurant Yoshi’s Café on Chicago’s Northside. “He was the first person to have wasabi mashed potatoes on his menu in the 1980s, so this recipe is near and dear to my heart,” she says. “In addition to their nostalgia, the potatoes are just really delicious with the spiciness and floral notes of the wasabi that cut through the rich creaminess.”
Yūgen features a tasting menu, thoughtfully composed and artfully presented. For the potato dish, Katsumura first boils Yukon potatoes, then hollows them out and fries the shells until crispy. She fills them with Robuchon-style mashed potatoes fortified with eggs, then broils the stuffed potatoes until golden. Katsumura finishes the dish with wasabi oil, fresh wasabi, fried allium and chive tips. “They’re currently paired with Binchotan-grilled A5 Wagyu and au poivre sauce—which happens to be another nod to my father,” she says. “How can you go wrong with this combination?”
