Julia Child. The name itself conjures visions of butter-filmed pans, almost-perfectly flipped omelets, and that irrepressible, booming laugh that rang through American kitchens for more than a decade.

I have a confession. Up until recently, I thought boiled potatoes in butter were the most uninspiring way to serve up a spud. Give me them fried, roasted, baked, mashed, dauphinoised or even ...