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About
Duchess potatoes are straight from French cuisine and consist of pureed potato, egg yolks, butter, and occasionally cheese. They are first put through a potato ricer, or mashed extremely well.
Once creamy they're piped onto a parchment-lined baking tray and brushed with egg white. The last step is baking them in a hot oven to give them a nice golden color and to crisp the exterior.
Ingredients
Our duchess potatoes recipe takes pantry staples that are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let's talk about the key ingredients.
- Potatoes: We used russets, but you can substitute them with Yukon gold.
- Dairy: We used eggs, salted butter, and heavy cream.
- Spices: We used salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and ground nutmeg.
How to Make
Start by gathering all the ingredients for our duchess potatoes recipe.
- Wash, peel, and cube the spuds. Boil, then simmer them until fork tender.
- Drain, then transfer to a bowl. Let the steam release for a few minutes--it will help get rid of extra moisture. Add a few spuds at a time to the potato ricer. Squeeze them out of the ricer into a large bowl. This step will make the spuds silky smooth and fluffy.
3. While still warm, add the egg yolks, butter, cream, and spices. The egg yolks are a binder and help add richness to the Duchess potato mixture.
4. Mix until well combined.
5. Put the spuds in a piping bag with a star tip and pipe onto a parchment-lined baking tray.
6. Freeze for 15 minutes to firm them up, then brush with a whisked egg white.
7. Bake for 25 minutes at 400°F.
8. For the best taste, serve our duchess potatoes while they are still warm.
Recipe FAQ
All-purpose potatoes that are floury rather than waxy are the best option for making them. We used russets but Yukon golds are a popular option as well. The texture of these types works better than waxy spuds which cook up with a dense, heavy texture.
A large bag such as a gallon-sized ziptop bag works great. All you need to do is clip one of the corners off just enough to insert the piping tip. Then add the mashed spuds and you are ready for piping.
Remove them straight from the freezer and line them up on a baking tray lightly sprayed with oil or cooking spray. Bake in the oven at 350° F for 8-12 minutes or until heated through. Serve and enjoy.
Ricing potato is a method used for mashing spuds that result in ultra-creamy texture. The cooked spuds are pushed through the small holes of the ricer and come out with fewer lumps than other types of methods for mashing.
Store
Make ahead: Prepare the Duchess potato recipe as written up through the step of piping them onto the baking trays. Then freeze the entire tray for two hours. Once frozen, transfer them into a zip-top freezer bag. You can do this up to one week in advance. When ready to serve, place the mounds onto a parchment-lined baking tray and bake. If you happen to have any leftovers, don't re-freeze.
Variations
- Want cheese? Try Parmesan, white cheddar, Gruyere, or Swiss.
- Want to skip the egg wash? Use melted butter instead.
- Want fresh herbs? Try dill, chives, thyme, or parsley.
- Don't own a ricer? Mash really well or use a stand mixer.
- Don't want to pipe? Drop in mounds and make a well in the center.
Expert Tips
- Don't add the egg yolks when the spuds are hot or they will start to cook.
- Practice piping your Duchess potatoes first onto a cutting board, then add the mixture back to the piping bag.
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Recipe
Duchess Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, 5 medium
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, yolks
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg white
Instructions
Making the Potato Mixture
- Wash, peel, and cube the potatoes and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and dump into a large bowl. Let them release steam for a few minutes as it will help get rid of extra moisture.
- Add a few cooled off spuds at a time to the potato ricer. Squeeze the ricer to press the spuds out through the bottom. Use a knife to scrape them off the ricer and into the bowl. Repeat this process until all the spuds are done. (Using a potato ricer will make them lump free and fluffy. If you don't have a potato ricer, mash them until all the lumps are out.)
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Place the yolks on top and the whites in a small bowl to use as a wash later.
- While they are still warm, add the butter, heavy cream, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, and nutmeg. Stir until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Piping the Duchess Potato Spirals
- Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Snip the corner off a freezer bag and insert a ½-inch star tip into the corner. Put the piping bag in a tall, wide-mouthed glass or vase and pull the sides of the bag over the glass to make it easier to put the filling in it.
- Fill the bag half full, making sure the tip is properly in place. Twist the top of the piping bag until tight. Pipe the potato mixture in spirals on the prepared cookie sheets, making sure to space them evenly. Pipe at a consistent speed, and use even pressure.
- Chill the tray for 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the fridge so they can firm up before applying the egg white.
Baking the Duchess Potato Spirals
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Once they have chilled, whisk the egg white and carefully brush them with it.
- Bake two trays at a time, each on a separate rack for 15 minutes. Switch the top and bottom trays and rotate for even cooking, then cook for another 10 minutes.
- Allow them to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving platter. Serve warm.
Notes
- If you add the egg yolks when the potatoes are hot, they will start to cook.
- Make a few practice ones on a cutting board before piping all of them. Just add them back to the piping bag when you are done practicing.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Our duchess potatoes recipe post was originally published on December 14, 2017.
Rita
If prepared ahead ,how long do you recommend to warm them back up?
Emma
You can either bake them at 350F for 5-8 minutes or until warmed, or you can microwave them.
Heidi
Made these and my guests loved them. So easy yet so elegant.
Emma
That's awesome to hear, Heidi! Thanks for sharing your review.
Alex
These duchess potatoes melt in my mouth! They smell so divine when they are baking in the oven. They also taste great with cheese. I could eat 5 of them! 🌟
Emma
😊 I'm thrilled that you enjoyed these duchess potatoes so much, Alex! Feel free to eat five of them if you like!
Beth
These are amazing! They have a firm exterior, but are warm and smooth inside. They look so elegant and taste so delicious that I could eat quite a few.🥔❤️
Emma
I'm right with you, Beth!