Duchess Potato Casserole
By Lan LamPublished on September 20, 2017
Time
1½ hours, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Featured Comment
”My family loved, loved these potatoes. They are potato eye candy.” —JoAnne O.
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Freshly ground nutmeg contributes heady flavor, so be sure to use it sparingly.
Make Ahead: This recipe can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. See instructions in step 4.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place 3½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick, in large saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook until paring knife can be slipped into and out of centers of potatoes with no resistance, 18 to 22 minutes. Drain potatoes.
- While potatoes cook, combine ⅔ cup half-and-half, 3 egg yolks, 1¾ teaspoons table salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and pinch nutmeg in bowl. Set aside.
- Place now-empty saucepan over low heat; set ricer or food mill over saucepan. Working in batches, transfer potatoes to hopper and process. Using silicone spatula, stir in 8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter until incorporated. Stir in reserved half-and-half mixture until combined. Transfer potatoes to prepared dish and smooth into even layer.
- Combine 1 egg white, remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter, and pinch salt in bowl and beat with fork until combined. Pour egg white mixture over potatoes, tilting dish so mixture evenly covers surface. Using flat side of paring knife, make series of ½-inch-deep, ¼-inch-wide parallel grooves across surface of casserole. Make second series of parallel grooves across surface, at angle to first series, to create crosshatch pattern. Bake casserole until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Let cool for 20 minutes. Serve.
TO MAKE AHEAD: At end of step 3, wrap dish in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, top and score casserole as directed in step 4 and bake in 375-degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes.
Time
1½ hours, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 8 to 10Featured Comment
”My family loved, loved these potatoes. They are potato eye candy.” —JoAnne O.Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Pommes duchesse is a classic French preparation of piped individual mounds of egg-enriched mashed potatoes. They can be made in advance, they look festive, and they taste great with a variety of entrées; however, they are rather fussy to prepare. To make this dish easier to pull off, we skipped the piping and baked the mashed potatoes in a baking dish. Our mashed potatoes, made from buttery Yukon Golds, are enhanced with butter, egg yolks, half-and-half, and nutmeg. To give the casserole a crisp, golden brown, attractive finish, we coated the top with a mixture of butter and egg whites and then scored the surface with a paring knife before baking.
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