Duchess Potatoes
Duchess potatoes are the prettiest mashed potatoes ever. They're buttery on the inside with crispy edges that are impossible to resist. And even though they look fancy, they're very simple to make.
Complete your meal with our lemon herb butter roast chicken and some maple glazed carrots!
Duchess Potatoes
This is the recipe you should make if you want to wow your dinner guests. Whether you invite some friends over this weekend, or are preparing for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, duchess potatoes will be the star of the show.
- They're the prettiest potatoes you'll ever see.
- You'll look like a super chef bringing these to the table.
- (It's our secret that they're easy to make.)
- They can be made up a day in advance and stored in your fridge until you are ready to bake them.
- They go great with everything from a roast turkey to pot roast to grilled salmon.
- They are super buttery and delicious.
What are duchess potatoes
Duchess potatoes are a fancy version of mashed potatoes.
They're made by mashing buttered potatoes with egg yolks, which makes the potatoes hold their shape once they're baked.
Then they're piped into pretty swirls using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
When they're baked, the insides stay beautifully soft and the outside edges get nice and crispy.
Can duchess potatoes be made in advance?
Yes! Duchess potatoes can be made 24 hours in advance and kept in your fridge until you're ready to bake them.
Simply pipe the potatoes onto a baking sheet then loosely cover them with plastic wrap before storing them in your fridge.
TIP: let the duchess potatoes cool for 1 hour in your fridge before you cover them with wrap. This will help protect the pretty edges.
Can you freeze duchess potatoes?
Yes! Duchess potatoes freeze very well. Simply pipe the potatoes onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet then put them into your freezer.
Once they're solid, you can move them into a freezer bag. They will keep well for 3 months in your freezer.
Reheat them from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
Can these be made without the egg?
No, unfortunatly these don't work well without the egg. In testing, we found that egg-free duchess potatoes fell flat when baked and were very difficult to get off the tray.
Can I make these without a pastry bag?
Yes, but they will look different. If you don't have a pastry bag, your best option is to spoon the mashed potatoes into a resealable plastic bag then cut the tip off the bag.
You can then pipe the duchess potatoes onto a baking tray. They'll have smoother edges so they won't get quite as crispy, but they'll still be very tasty.
Popular Side Dishes
- Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
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Duchess Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb. russet or Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup whipping cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 whole egg + 1 tablespoon milk, for the egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Place them in a large pot and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoes.2 ½ lb. russet or Yukon gold potatoes
- Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer. Alternatively, you can mash them with a potato masher, making them as smooth as possible.
- Add the butter and let it melt. Mix in the cream, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more salt, if wanted. When the mashed potatoes have cooled slightly, stir in the egg yolks.4 tablespoons butter, ⅓ cup whipping cream, 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 4 large egg yolks
- Transfer the mashed potatoes to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. (You'll need to work in batches.) Pipe the potatoes onto the parchment-lined baking sheets into swirls about 3 inches in diameter.
- Whisk the whole egg with the milk then gently brush it over the duchess potatoes. You don't want to use a lot and you'll likely have leftovers.1 whole egg + 1 tablespoon milk
- Bake the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until they have started to turn golden along the ridges. Serve with a little minced parsley, chives, or thyme sprinkled over the top.
Notes
Make duchess potatoes 24 hours in advance
Complete steps 2-5 then place the trays of duchess potatoes into your fridge for 1 hour. After an hour the potatoes will be firm enough that you'll be able to cover them with wrap. Add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.Freeze duchess potatoes
Complete steps 2-5 then place the trays of duchess potatoes into your freezer. Once they are solid you can place them into a freezer bag. They will keep well for at least 3 months. Bake them from frozen adding about 10 minutes to the baking time.Pin this recipe to save it for later!
These look so pretty! What is the serving portion for these? It says serves 6. The recipe also says use 2 baking sheets. In the photos I see 12 swirls. Does it mean that each guest would get 4 as a serving? I’m trying to figure out what an appropriate serving would be to go with a slice of porchetta for Christmas party.
Thank you so much ☺️.
That’s right! Each serving is 4 swirls. It’s a pretty generous serving, especially at a bigger dinner feast. BTW porchetta for Christmas sounds wonderful!
These are really nice! I made a bunch at Thanksgiving and will make them again for Christmas. Love the crispy edges.
How much cream ? The recipe just says 1/3
Sorry about that! ⅓ cup. 🙂
That egg used in this dish are mainly to enrich has well as offer the crisp golden brown of the finished piped potato product. “Doo chess” potatoes do not require the egg and you can use butter to achieve the glistening crispy goodness on top of the finish piped out potatoes by just brushing the potatoes with melted butter before baking
These look amazing! Is there any substitute for the whipping cream though? I want to make them but need to make them non-dairy…
I would try using a non-dairy milk. They won’t be quite as rich but they will still be good. I think un-sweetened almond milk would probably be your best bet. I find that soy often leaves a funny taste in food whereas almond milk is a lot more neutral. 🙂
Any luck with egg free? Did you try either the panko bread crumbs or cheese? Would like to make theses along with a tenderloing of beef for Christmans dinner, but have to work around someone’s egg allergy. Any sugestions are appreciated. thank you.
I tried an egg free version once just by omitting the egg but not changing anything else. They turned out ok, the taste was good but they shrunk a little in the oven.
What I would do (what I have done before at the supper club) is make a batch but before you add in the egg just take enough out to make a couple for your one guest with the egg allergy. I’ve even cooked them on the same pan but separated from the rest with some aluminium foil to make sure there was no contamination. It’s barely any more work at all and then most of them will be perfect and just a couple slightly shrunken.
Hope you have a great Christmas dinner!
I needed a good compliment to the steaks I featured. Your potatoes look so elegant. I featured it on my Friday Five (I know, I was out of town) – steak & Potato addition over @ Feed Your Soul Too – http://www.feedyoursoul2.com/2013/09/friday-five-steak-potatoes.html
Thank you so much, Peter!
What about cheese (like Parmesan) or panko bread crumbs to add stability without eggs?
That’s a great idea. I will have to try that next time I make them. Thank you for the suggestions!
I love Dutchess potatoes, I don’t think I’ve made them since culinary school though. I’ll have to whip some up again soon.
OK, these look amazing! I’m going to make them tomorrow, my family will love them. I’d love to have you share this or any of your amazing posts at our weekly Super Saturday Link Party. It starts Friday’s at 3pm, hope we see you there!
(Please remember to add a link to Made From Pinterest at the end of your post!)
Tracy
I’m absolutely making these for my next dinner party. What an attractive way to serve potatoes! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
these are really pretty !
I love duchess potatoes! These look awesome, you did a great job piping them!
These potatoes are so pretty. And yes, I think they would be perfect in a dinner party. So need to try these!
They certainly are pretty.