Duchess Potatoes are one of the most elegant ways to serve mashed potatoes. To make this recipe, the cooked potatoes are traditionally pushed through a potato ricer (like the one in the photo below) which removes all lumps and makes the potatoes very light and fluffy. Alternatively, if you don’t have a potato ricer, a food mill could be used or the potatoes can be mashed really well with a potato masher but, with the potato masher, they won’t be quite as smooth and fluffy as when riced.
The potatoes are mixed with egg yolks, milk or cream, melted butter, some cheese, and seasonings like onion and garlic salt and, traditionally, a pinch of nutmeg. The creamy mixture is then squeezed through a pastry bag, fitted with a large open star tip, and piped into decorative shapes, like cones or rosettes, on to a baking sheet. Brushed with melted butter and browned in the oven, these little potato mounds take any meal up a notch! Slightly crispy on the outside, the inside is a soft, puffy cloud of tasty goodness.
Choose a good starchy potato, like Russets for example, suitable for mashing, for these little gems. You will want to select a variety of potato that has a higher starch content as these will generate a fluffy and smooth texture when riced or mashed which is what is required for Duchess Potatoes. The semi-starchy Yukon Gold variety can alternatively be used and will give a somewhat natural buttery taste and will have a creamier texture than will Russets. While either variety will work for Duchess Potatoes, my preference is to use Russets. In any event, avoid varieties of potatoes on the waxy spectrum of potatoes as they have a tendency to become pasty and gummy when mashed or riced and mixed with other ingredients. That is not the texture for good Duchess Potatoes.
Some potatoes (like Russets, for example) absorb more liquid than others so the quantity of milk/cream called for in the recipe should be used as a guide. Add the cream/milk gradually, using only enough to make the potato mixture pliable and capable of being piped through the pastry bag. Adding too much milk/cream will cause the mixture to become too loose and soupy and the potato mounds to spread instead of holding their shape. When they are piped on to the baking sheet, they should immediately hold their shape perfectly and not spread or flop over.
Avoid using a mixer or blender to combine the ingredients for Duchess Potatoes because too much mixing may result in any variety of potato used becoming glue-like and gummy. Just a good old large mixing spoon or rubber spatula and some muscle power will mix the ingredients sufficiently.
It is recommended that the potato mounds be placed in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes before baking as this will help them to firm up and reduce the risk of them spreading when they are placed in the oven.
Known in French as pommes duchess, this method of presenting potatoes is considered to be a classic in French cuisine.
Duchess Potatoes are a wonderful side dish to many meals as they plate really well and look very stylish and impressive on the plate.
Duchess Potatoes may be made up to a day in advance of serving and refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap. To bake, remove them from the refrigerator, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with paprika, and bake as directed in recipe.
The potatoes are typically piped into shapes about 2″ – 2 1/2″ in diameter. Depending on the meal to which they are a side, and the size of the mounds, one or two of the potato mounds would generally be allotted per serving. If they are made very petite, up to three could be plated with a meal.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Decadent Duchess Potatoes
Ingredients:
5 or 6 medium-sized starchy potatoes (e.g., Russets), peeled, sliced, cooked, and drained (apx 2 lbs)
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup melted butter
3 egg yolks (room temperature), slightly beaten
¼ – 1/3 cup cream, half and half, or whole milk (warmed) [See Note below]
3 tbsp grated white cheddar cheese
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
¼ – ½ tsp garlic salt
dash freshly cracked pepper
¼ tsp onion salt (optional)
Pinch nutmeg (optional)
2-3 tbsp melted butter for brushing potato mounds
Paprika (optional)
Fresh herbs of choice (e.g., thyme, rosemary, parsley) for garnish (optional)
Method:
Peel and slice potatoes. Place in large pot and add apx. 3 cups of water (1/4 tsp. salt). Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook potatoes until fork-tender. Drain.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
Process potatoes through a potato ricer or mash really well with a potato masher to remove any lumps. Add butter, egg yolks, cream or milk, cheeses, garlic salt, pepper, onion salt, and nutmeg. Stir well to incorporate ingredients thoroughly and to make the mixture smooth. Transfer potato mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a large open star decorating tip (at least ¾” wide opening at tip).
Pipe mixture into decorative mounds, about 2 – 2½” round, directly onto prepared baking sheet leaving 1½” – 2” inches in between each mound (apx ½ cup potato mixture for each mound). Place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up the mounds before baking. Remove from refrigerator and brush mounds lightly with melted butter.
Sprinkle each mound lightly with paprika, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly browned. Remove from oven and let potato mounds rest on baking sheet 3-4 minutes before serving.
Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Yield: Apx. 20 – 2” potato mounds
NOTE 1: Some potatoes absorb more liquid than others so the quantity of milk/cream given in the recipe should be used as a guide. Add the cream/milk gradually using only enough to make the potato mixture pliable and capable of being piped through the pastry bag. Adding too much milk will cause potato mounds to spread instead of holding their shape.
NOTE 2: Duchess Potatoes may be made up to a day in advance of serving and refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap. To bake, remove from refrigerator and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake as directed in recipe.
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Decadent Duchess Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 or 6 medium sized starchy potatoes (e.g., Russets), peeled, sliced, cooked, and drained (apx 2 lbs)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature, slightly beaten
- ¼ - 1/3 cup cream, half and half, or whole milk (warme[See Note below]
- 3 tbsp grated white cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ - ½ tsp garlic salt
- dash freshly cracked pepper
- ¼ tsp onion salt (optional)
- Pinch nutmeg (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp melted butter for brushing potato mounds
- Paprika (optional)
- Fresh herbs of choice (e.g., thyme, rosemary, parslefor garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and slice potatoes. Place in large pot and add apx. 3 cups of water (1/4 tsp. salt). Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook potatoes until fork-tender. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
- Process potatoes through a potato ricer or mash really well with a potato masher to remove any lumps. Add butter, egg yolks, cream or milk, cheeses, garlic salt, pepper, onion salt, and nutmeg. Stir well to incorporate ingredients thoroughly and to make the mixture smooth. Transfer potato mixture to a large pastry bag fitted with a large open star decorating tip (at least ¾” wide opening at tip).
- Pipe mixture into decorative mounds, about 2 - 2½” round, directly onto prepared baking sheet leaving 1½” – 2” inches in between each mound (apx ½ cup potato mixture for each mound). Place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes to firm up the mounds before baking. Remove from refrigerator and brush mounds lightly with melted butter.
- Sprinkle each mound lightly with paprika, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly browned. Remove from oven and let potato mounds rest on baking sheet 3-4 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 20 – 2” potato mounds
NOTE 1: Some potatoes absorb more liquid than others so the quantity of milk/cream given in the recipe should be used as a guide. Add the cream/milk gradually using only enough to make the potato mixture pliable and capable of being piped through the pastry bag. Adding too much milk will cause potato mounds to spread instead of holding their shape.
NOTE 2: Duchess Potatoes may be made up to a day in advance of serving and refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap. To bake, remove from refrigerator and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake as directed in recipe.
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