Cheesy potatoes are fancy French side you’ll crave
Move over, mashed potatoes: There’s anewsidedishworthyof a spot onyour holiday table. Duchess potatoes are everything you love about mashed potatoes, piped into picture-perfect mounds and baked until crisp. Did I mention they’re filled with cheese and bathed in melted butter?
Here’s howtomake ’em. Duchess potatoes— a French potato dish believed to be named after a British duchesswhovisited France— are crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and they boast adorable ruffled edges that brown in the oven.
Duchess potatoes are made by boiling potatoes until tender, then mashing them
Cheesy garlic duchess potatoes
with butter, dairy (in the form of milk, halfand-half or cream) and egg yolks.
We prefer to useYukon Gold potatoes, which have a buttery, creamy texture that makes the mixture super smooth and lends the piped mounds a pretty golden color. The egg yolks help set the potatoes and give them a light texture, while the dairy keeps the interior moist and creamy.
Some recipes also add cheese to the mix. We likeGruyere for its strong aromaand bold, nutty flavor, but Comte, Jarlsberg and Swiss are all great options.
Using a piping tipwill give these potatoes a fancy ruffled look, but it’s not necessary. If you don’t have one, just load them into a large ziptop baggie, cut the tip off and pipe them into smooth mounds. They won’t have the distinct ruffled edges, but they will be just as delicious.
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
2 ½ pounds (about 15) mediumYukon Gold potatoes
1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely grated (about cup)
3 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons whole milk, heavy creamor half-and-half
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel 2 ½ poundsYukon Gold potatoes and quarter each potato. Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt in a large pot and add enough coldwater to coverthem by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very tender and can be easily pierced with a fork with no resistance, 14 to 16 minutes. Meanwhile, finely grate 2 ounces Gruyere cheese (about ½ cup) and mince 3 garlic cloves. 3.Whenthepotatoes are ready, drain through a colander. Place theempty pot back over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the unsalted butter. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1minute. Add 3 tablespoons milk, the remaining ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and ¾ teaspoon black pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn offthe heat.
4. Addthe cooked potatoes and mash with a potato masher until smooth. (Alternatively, pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into the milk mixture.) Add the Gruyere and stir until melted. Add 4 large egg yolks and vigorously stir until they are fully incorporated.
5. Transfer the potatoes into a large piping bag fitted with a star tip or a large ziptop bag with the corner cut off. Pipe the potatoes into 12 (2-inch high, 2-inch wide) mounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 1-inch apart. If the bag is too hot to handle, wrap a kitchen towel around the piping bag.
6. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 10-second bursts until completely melted. (Alternatively, melt on the stove.) Brush all of the butter over the tops of the potatoes.
7. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop until you have 1 tablespoon fresh chives. Sprinkle the chives over the potatoes and serve immediately.