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Creamy Duchess Potatoes elevate mashed potatoes to a beautiful finger food perfect for entertaining! Complete with an optional homemade tomato sauce, this recipe for duchess potatoes is super rich and creamy. Ready using simple ingredients with or without a piping bag.
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Best Duchess Potatoes
When it comes to my favorite side dishes, mashed potatoes are at the top of my list. My family and I can't get enough of them! Now and then, though, your main course may call for something a little more fancy... that's where these duchess mashed potatoes come in. These are some fancy potatoes!
Duchess potatoes are a truly amazing little potato side dish or appetizer. I like to make them in the style of marquis potatoes, filling them with homemade tomato sauce, but you can also leave the sauce out and pipe them traditionally.
This French piped potatoes recipe (also called Pommes Duchesse, if you're feeling extra fancy) is easier to make than it looks, and worth every bit of effort. They look beautiful on the plate, and make an excellent side dish for dishes of all kinds, like ham, prime rib, turkey, steak, and chicken!
Duchess Potatoes FAQs
Duchess potatoes are smooth and creamy mashed potatoes made using egg yolks and heavy cream, piped from a bag and baked. Every bite is soft on the inside with a crisp exterior.
Which type of potato you use to make duchess potatoes varies from recipe to recipe. Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes are the best choice of potatoes for making duchess potatoes.
Duchess potatoes can easily be frozen. Pipe the mixture onto a baking sheet, then add the baking sheet to the freezer. When the potatoes are frozen solid, transfer them to freezer-safe storage bags or a container. Label with the date and store until ready to bake. Bake straight from frozen according to recipe instructions.
You can make duchess potatoes without a piping bag. Make your own by using a large plastic bag. Cut one corner of the bag into a "W" shape. The closer to the tip of the bag you cut, the smaller the piping size will be, so cut large enough to pipe the potatoes without making the hole too large.
Duchess Potatoes Ingredients
- Yukon gold potatoes (you can also use russet)
- Egg yolks
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Heavy cream
- Salt and pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Tomato Filling Ingredients (Optional)
- Unsalted butter
- Shallots
- Garlic cloves
- Roma tomatoes
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
Although we fill our duchess potatoes with tomato sauce, you can use any sauce you'd like that pairs well with mashed potatoes. Gravy is a great choice. Alternatively, leave out the sauce entirely.
How to Make Duchess Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place them in a saucepan and fill with water enough to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. When tender, drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
- Mash potatoes until completely smooth using a potato masher or potato ricer. While the potatoes are still warm, fold in egg yolks one at a time. Then, fold in softened butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste, about ¾ teaspoon each or so, and nutmeg if desired.
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a large piping bag fitted with a ½-inch star tip. Starting from the center, pipe into swirled mounds about 2-inches wide. Repeat until all potato is used - you should have enough for about 20 duchess potatoes.*
- Bake in the preheated 400°F oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets half-way through. Once ready, remove from the oven and use a spatula to carefully remove the potatoes from the baking sheet.
*If you're making the duchess potatoes with a sauce, you can instead pipe them while leaving a space at the center. Begin by piping a small circle of potato, about 2-inches wide, on the prepared baking sheet. Around the edge of the circle, pipe 3 layers tall, creating a cavity in the center. Fill with desired sauce immediately after removing from the baking sheet.
Alternatively, if you don't have a piping bag and cannot make one, or would prefer not to use one, use a spoon to dollop out potatoes into individual serving sizes.
How to Make Tomato Sauce for Duchess Potatoes
Tomato sauce is optional, but it makes a great filling for duchess potatoes if you want to use it. Follow the steps for piping with a cavity at the center of the potatoes, then add the tomato sauce immediately after baking.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Add sliced shallots and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they start to break down in the pan, stirring occasionally, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the sauce into the cavities of the cooked duchess potatoes as soon as they are ready.
Best Duchess Potato Tips
- Egg yolks are what help the duchess potatoes keep shape in the oven, so they are a necessary part of the recipe. However, you can otherwise customize your mashed potatoes in just about any way you'd like!
- Any potato will work just fine for making this dish - Yukon gold and russet are good choices.
- You can make duchess potatoes without a piping bag by cutting a "W" into one corner of a large plastic bag to mimic a star tip, or by forgoing the piping bag altogether and using a spoon to dollop out the potatoes. Of course, using a piping bag (makeshift or otherwise) will look the best.
What to Serve with Duchess Potatoes
Duchess potatoes make a delicious side dish for prime rib, steak, pork, ham, chicken, and turkey. They are a beautiful holiday side dish or appetizer for any meal you would normally serve with mashed potatoes.
Best Potato Side Dishes
Try more of my best side dishes using potatoes, such as:
- Smothered Potatoes
- Riced Potatoes - the creamiest mashed potatoes ever
- Easy Scalloped Potatoes
- Grilled Potatoes
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Asparagus Pasta
- Papas Con Chorizo
- Roasted Small Potatoes
Try this side dish for the holidays, along with my other Best Side Dishes for Thanksgiving!
Did you try this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and leave a rating! We love to hear from you.
Creamy Duchess Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Potato ricer or potato masher
- 1 piping bag with ½-inch star tip - alternatively, use a large plastic bag with a "W" cut into one corner
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds yukon potatoes
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon pepper or to taste
For optional tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 6 to matoes diced
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped, with additional for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place them in a saucepan and fill with water enough to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. When tender, drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
- Mash potatoes until completely smooth using a potato masher or potato ricer. While the potatoes are still warm, fold in egg yolks one at a time. Then, fold in softened butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste, about ¾ teaspoon each or so, and nutmeg if desired.
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a large piping bag fitted with a ½-inch star tip. Starting from the center, pipe into swirled mounds about 2-inches wide. Repeat until all potato is used - you should have enough for about 20 duchess potatoes. (See notes for piping if serving with sauce in center.)
- Bake in the preheated 400°F oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets half-way through. Once ready, remove from the oven and use a spatula to carefully remove the potatoes from the baking sheet.
How to Make Tomato Sauce for Duchess Potatoes
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Add sliced shallots and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook until they start to break down in the pan, stirring occasionally, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the sauce into the cavities of the cooked duchess potatoes as soon as they are ready.
Notes
- Tomato sauce is optional, but it makes a great filling for duchess potatoes if you want to use it. Follow the steps for piping with a cavity at the center of the potatoes, then add the tomato sauce immediately after baking.
- If you're making the duchess potatoes with a sauce, you can instead pipe them while leaving a space at the center. Begin by piping a small circle of potato, about 2-inches wide, on the prepared baking sheet. Around the edge of the circle, pipe 3 layers tall, creating a cavity in the center. Fill with desired sauce immediately after removing from the baking sheet.
- Egg yolks are what help the duchess potatoes keep shape in the oven, so they are a necessary part of the recipe. However, you can otherwise customize your mashed potatoes in just about any way you'd like!
- Any potato will work just fine for making this dish - Yukon gold and russet are good choices.
- You can make duchess potatoes without a piping bag by cutting a "W" into one corner of a large plastic bag to mimic a star tip, or by forgoing the piping bag altogether and using a spoon to dollop out the potatoes. Of course, using a piping bag (makeshift or otherwise) will look the best.
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