Pommes Duchesse (French Piped Potatoes)

Pommes Duchesse. Sounds fancy. Looks fancy. But really, this is simply a fun way of "piping" mashed potatoes into a baking dish, just in time for the Thanksgiving countdown (in my book, never too soon).

These potatoes are an always-requested Thanksgiving staple in our household, and also a perfect accompaniment to any poultry or red meat (as one of our relatives is not fond of turkey). Another regular vegetarian guest annually asks, "You're making the potatoes, right?"

Looking more elegant than regular mashed, they work well for any special occasion, and aren't any more difficult to make. [Ed. note: Don't say this to your guests. Lie. Lie and tell them it took you months to prepare this and those ingrates should kiss the ground you walk on and okay I'll shut up.]

The original recipe calls for piping the potatoes into eight puffs of potato swirls. Those are glorious, and I've made them that way many times, but here I decided to freestyle the swirls and  just make a decorative pattern in the baking dish. Either way you decide to do it, it's good.

If you don't have a pastry bag and a piping tip, just spoon the mashed potatoes into the baking dish and create decorative swirls with the tines of a fork. The end result will still be crispy on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside.

However you decide to present them, Pommes Duchesse will be an impressive addition to any holiday (or everyday) feast.

PS: A year ago we were feeling pretty healthy with this butternut squash soup with red curry croutons (www.moveablefeast.me/blog/butternut-squash-soup-with-red-curry-croutons).

Adapted from: Geoffrey Zakarian, The Kitchen (Food Network)
Number of servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 4 medium) russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup heavy cream 
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
• 2 egg yolks 
• ½ cup finely grated Gruyere cheese (if you're adverse to Gruyere, try finely grated Parmesan)
• Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine the potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until fork tender, 10-12 minutes. Drain potatoes and then press through a ricer or food mill back into the pot they were cooked in. Place over low heat for a few minutes to dry the potatoes.
2. Heat the cream and ½ stick of the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the cream is warm but not hot. Stir mixture into the potatoes. Mix in the egg yolks and season with salt and pepper. Add cheese and nutmeg.
3. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Grease a medium baking dish with butter.
4. Melt the remaining ½ stick butter in a small pot over low heat (or the microwave).
5. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large-star tip with the mashed potatoes. Into the prepared baking dish, pipe the potatoes in a circular motion, about 3 inches in diameter, starting from the outside and filling in a circle. Finish by piping upwards for a nice swirl on top. Repeat to fill the entire baking dish. Brush each circle with the melted butter.
6. Bake in oven until golden brown, 30-40 minutes.