Pommes de Terre Duchesse

Staple. Classic. Legend. Simplicity. French.

1 kg peeled floury potatoes
50 g butter
white pepper or black pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
sea salt to taste


Put the potatoes in a pot with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Check the doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the potatoes; if it slides in easily, they are ready. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot, and shake them over low heat for 2 minutes to dry them out.

Force the potatoes through a sieve or mash them with a potato masher. Add the butter, a bit more salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and the eggs. Mix everything thoroughly. Cover the bowl and leave the mixture in it until the oven is ready.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place a baking tray in the oven to heat it up.

Take out the tray and add either butter or oil (originally, it was all about butter). Put the potato purée in a piping bag and pipe out small rosettes onto the heated tray. While not stated in the original recipe, I like to brush them with extra melted butter and sprinkle rosemary on top for extra flavour.

Place the tray in the oven, one level up from the middle, and bake until golden and crisp.

Serve them as a main course with a salad, or as an accompaniment to vegetables, fish, or meat.