Duchess Potatoes are the perfect way to add a touch of elegance to your meal, but they’re easier to make than you might think! With creamy mashed potatoes piped into beautiful shapes and baked until golden, they’re a simple yet impressive side dish for any roast, holiday dinner, or special occasion.
I’ll show you how to make this fancy side dish with minimal effort. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create a dish that looks and tastes like it came from a fine-dining restaurant!
Duchess Potatoes Recipe
What is Duchess potato?
Duchess potato or otherwise known as Pommes Duchesse is simply mashed potato with egg yolks, cream, and butter. The creamy mashed potato is piped onto a parchment-lined baking tray, brushed with melted butter, and baked until golden brown.
Despite the name, Duchess potatoes are French in cuisine origin, first invented in the late 18th century by a French chef Antoine Carême, known for his fancy food creations.
It’s believed that the French chef created this dish to honor his friend and patron of French royalty, Duchess Polignac.
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Ingredients
- Yellow potatoes - Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, both will work in this recipe. While traditional duchess potatoes are made with Russet potatoes, you can use other varieties, such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes, if you prefer. However different types of potatoes have different textures and flavors, so your duchess potatoes may turn out slightly different.
- Egg yolks - at room temperature. Egg yolks act as binding agents and give the potatoes that silky smooth and creamy texture.
- Heavy cream - is a key ingredient in piped potatoes, as it adds richness and creaminess. However, if you're looking to make a lighter version, you can substitute it with half and half.
- Unsalted butter - at room temperature. Omit the salt if you use salted butter. Butter adds flavor and richness. If you need, you can substitute it with olive oil or even coconut oil for a healthier option. The texture will be different.
- Salt and black pepper - to taste or you can use seasoned salt or salt blends.
How To Make Duchess Potatoes
Let's get ready to make some delicious mashed potatoes!
Fill a large pot with water. Sprinkle salt to add flavor. Let the water boil.
Toss the potatoes into the pot of boiling water and let them bubble away for about 25 minutes, or until they're fork-tender.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them cool off for a few minutes. Then, toss them into a medium-sized bowl.
Add heavy cream, salt, pepper, and half of your butter to the bowl. Save the rest of the butter for later.
Mash potatoes until they're smooth and creamy (with a potato masher or blender or hand mixer on low speed).
Stir in the egg yolks. Beat on low and be careful not to overmix. The mixture should be smooth.
Prepare a pastry piping bag and a large star tip. Place potatoes into the piping bag and swirl them onto the prepared baking tray like a fancy ice cream cone.
For final touches, melt the remaining butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and brush it onto those beautiful potato swirls.
Pop the tray into the oven and let the potatoes bake for 25-30 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy. Baking time may vary due to different ovens and altitudes.
Voila! You've got yourself a mouth-watering side dish that'll have everyone coming back for seconds.
If you want to serve it later, cover potatoes with aluminum foil and keep them in a warm oven (let the oven cool a bit, it should be not more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit) until ready to serve.
⭐ Looking for more easy side dish recipes? Try our quick Sauteed Asparagus, Air Fryer Cabbage, Roasted Butternut Squash next!
Tips
- Using potatoes with a high starch content is important for creating a creamy texture. Russet potatoes or all purpose Yukon Gold potatoes are good options.
- Don’t overcook the potatoes, or they will become waterlogged and overly mushy, making it difficult to create a smooth consistency.
- Drain the potatoes well after boiling to remove any excess moisture.
- For the best texture, use room-temperature butter and egg yolks.
- Take your time when piping the potatoes. Pipe smooth and uniform-sized swirls for an attractive finish.
- Brushing melted butter over the piped potatoes helps to create an attractive golden brown exterior.
- If you don't have a baking pan, use a large casserole dish instead. Just make sure the pommes duchesses have some breathing'' space between them.
Serving Suggestions
These Duchess potatoes can be served as an elegant side dish for special occasions, date nights, and Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
Serve it with roasted meats, fish and seafood, vegetarian main meals, or as a breakfast and brunch food item alongside quiche or frittata.
Our favorite main courses to serve this:
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- Store the duchess potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in oven or air fryer at temperature - 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. You can freeze these as well but the texture will change and they will be a little dryer after thawing and reheating.
Variations
- Add Herbs - Add fresh or dried herbs to the potato mixture. We like thyme, rosemary, chives, parsley, or dill.
- Grated cheese - Freshly grated cheese added to the creamy potato mixture will add rich flavor. For better blending grate the cheese from a block. Pecorino, Parmesan, Cheddar, or Gruyere cheese.
- Spices - Warming spices such as nutmeg, paprika, or garlic powder will add some extra depth of flavor to your Duchess potatoes.
- Vegetables - Finely chopped greens and vegetables can be added to the mashed potato mixture, such as green onions, spinach, kale, or roasted red peppers.
- Meat - Crumbled cooked bacon can be sprinkled over the top of the piped potatoes before baking for a smoky and salty flavor.
- Sweet potato - Use sweet potato instead of regular potatoes. These will add a slightly sweet flavor and an orange tint to the Duchess potatoes.
- Truffle oil - Instead of brushing melted butter over the pipe potatoes, drizzle some truffle oil for a rich and earthy flavor.
What Makes Duchess Potatoes Different From Other Potato Dishes?
Duchess potatoes differ from other potato dishes in the following ways:
- Thanks to their elegant piped shape, you'll surely wow your guest or a date.
- They have a creamier texture from the combination of butter and egg yolks.
- They have a crispy and golden brown exterior from the piped shape, which is brushed with melted butter.
- These Duchess potatoes can easily be varied to include dried or fresh herbs, cheese, and seasoning (seasoned salts, ranch dressing, herbs) and can be piped into different shapes.
FAQs
The egg yolks add flavor and creaminess to these Duchess potatoes while also adding a vibrant yellow color.
Make sure that there are no lumps in the potato mixture for a crispy exterior. Brushing the piped mashed potato will also create a crispy outer edge to these Duchess potatoes.
Easy Potato Recipes
For more sides, hop on to our Side Dish recipe archives.
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Recipe Card
Duchess Potatoes (Piped Mashed Potatoes)
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds yellow potatoes, Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Take a large pot and fill it up with water. Sprinkle in some salt to add some flavor. Let the water come to a boil.
- Toss the potatoes into the pot of boiling water and let them bubble away for about 25 minutes, or until they're fork-tender.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them cool off for a few minutes. Then, toss them into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add heavy cream, salt, pepper, and half of your butter to the bowl. Save the rest of the butter for later. Mash those potatoes until they're smooth and creamy (with a potato masher or blender or hand mixer on low speed).
- Stir in the egg yolks. Beat on low and be careful not to overmix.
- Prepare a pastry piping bag and a large star tip. Place potatoes into the piping bag and swirl them onto the prepared baking tray like a fancy ice cream cone.
- For final touches, melt the remaining butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and brush it onto those beautiful potato swirls.
- Pop the tray into the oven and let potatoes bake for 25-30 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy. Baking time may vary due to different ovens and altitudes.
- Voila! You've got yourself a mouth-watering side dish that'll have everyone coming back for seconds.
- if you want to serve it later, cover potatoes with aluminum foil and keep in a warm oven (let the oven cool a bit, it should not be less than 400 degrees Fahrenheit) until ready to serve.
NOTES
- This recipe makes about 4-6 servings.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in oven or air fryer at temperature - 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. You can freeze these as well but the texture will change and they will be a little dryer after thawing and reheating.
- Yellow potatoes - Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes. While traditional duchess potatoes are made with Russet potatoes, you can use other varieties, such as Yukon Gold or red potatoes, if you prefer. However different types of potatoes have different textures and flavors, so your duchess potatoes may turn out slightly different.
- Egg yolks - At room temperature. Egg yolks act as binding agents and give the potatoes that silky smooth and creamy texture.
- Heavy cream - This is a key ingredient in Duchess potatoes, as it adds richness and creaminess. However, if you're looking to make a lighter version, you can substitute it with milk or even almond milk.
- Unsalted butter - At room temperature. Omit the salt if you use salted butter. Butter adds flavor and richness. However, you can substitute it with olive oil or even coconut oil for a healthier option.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Creamy and delicious!