I love serving Duchess Potatoes whenever I’m entertaining because they are beautiful and seriously delicious!
These Duchess potatoes are seasoned perfectly and mixed with grated parmesan cheese for even more flavor. I like to pipe them using a large decorative piping tip and bake until golden brown and beautifully puffed up. So pretty!
Make these cute little potatoes for the holidays this year. Everyone will love them!
Duchess potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes to serve during the holidays because they are so pretty and oh-so-delicious! These ones are mixed in with grated parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
They are pretty much cheese mashed potatoes in cute little bite-sized rosettes.
The great thing about these is that they are make-ahead and freezer-friendly. It makes holiday dinner prep so much easier!
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What are Duchess Potatoes?
Also known as pomme duchesse, duchess potatoes are a mixture of mashed potatoes, butter, cream or milk, seasoning, and egg yolks. They are piped into various shapes and baked until golden brown.
They are a classic French cuisine recipe. The most common shape is swirls and they taste so so good! Who doesn’t like prettied-up potatoes?!
If you don’t have a piping bag, worry not! You can also pipe them from the tip of a resealable bag and do swirl patterns using a fork, although using a piping tip is preferred.
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this wonderful Duchess potatoes. Below is top-level overview of the things you’ll need, plus a few helpful notes. Ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card down below, per usual.
- Yukon gold potatoes: Yukon gold have a richer yellow color and the proper texture to make this recipe. Try not to use Russet potatoes since they tend to disintegrate easily.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garlic: For flavor.
- Butter: To add richness and moisture.
- Heavy cream: To add richness and moisture.
- Grated parmesan: For savory flavors. Make sure it’s finely grated for best results.
- Egg yolks: Adds structure. Without eggs, they would fall apart a little. Egg yolks also help them puff up beautifully and get a nice golden brown color.
- Chives for garnish
Aside from that, you’ll need a large sheet pan (or medium 2 sheet pans), parchment paper, a potato ricer, a piping bag or resealable bag, and a large decorative piping tip.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Boil potatoes and drain
First, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes and boil them until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Then drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Mash the potatoes
Press the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer. If you don’t have one, you can also use a masher, but I’d highly recommend using a potato ricer for best results – they’ll be fluffier and there will be no chunks of potato you might have missed.
Why use a potato ricer: Potato ricers press potatoes through small holes, so they are very fluffy, without any large chunks of potatoes. You can also use a potato masher, but it will be a bit denser with a few lumps.
3. Make cream and butter mixture
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium. Sauté garlic for 1 minute or until fragrant. Then, mix in heavy cream and warm it up a little bit. No need to bring to a boil – it just needs to be warm.
4. Fold in cream and butter mixture
Add the warm cream and butter mixture to the pressed potatoes, folding it in with a rubber spatula until it looks like mashed potatoes.
5. Add seasoning, cheese, and eggs
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add the parmesan cheese. Mix those in. Then, add egg yolks and mix until evenly combined.
6. Prepare piping bag and pipe
Snip off the corner of a piping bag or a large Ziploc bag. Then, set up an extra-large decorative piping tip. I like to use a coupler to hold the piping tip better, but that’s optional. Fill the bag with half of the mashed potato mixture.
Tips: Don’t overfill the bag, or it will get messy and difficult to pipe.
7. Brush and top with more cheese
Carefully brush each of the potatoes with melted butter. Sprinkle more grated cheese on top.
8. Bake
Bake at 425 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. They will puff up a little bit. Rotate the sheet pans about halfway through.
After they are done, transfer potatoes to a serving platter and garnish with chives and more cheese, if desired.
Tip: Make sure to bake at 425 degrees F. That way, you’ll get a beautiful deep golden brown color.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Good news! Duchess potatoes can be made ahead. The best option is to pipe as directed and freeze them for up to 1 month. Once ready to make, simply brush with butter, top with cheese, and bake.
Basically, this is the process:
- Make the potato mixture and pipe them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, as directed in the recipe card. Do NOT brush them with butter or sprinkle with cheese yet.
- Freeze the sheet pan with the potatoes until they are solid.
- Once they have frozen, carefully transfer them into a large freezer-friendly bag. Freeze for up to 1 month.
- When ready to bake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the duchess potatoes (frozen) onto a lined sheet pan about 2 inches apart. Brush with butter and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through for even browning. They may take a few extra minutes since they were previously frozen.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
These main dishes go really well with Duchess potatoes:
I also like to serve these with my Dutch oven pot roast. I know I know, pot roast already comes with potatoes, but hey…I’m a big fan of potatoes over here, especially Duchess potatoes!
Other ideas include: grilled salmon or salmon florentine, broiled fish, or steak!
Recipe FAQs
I’d recommend using yukon gold potatoes for color and texture.
Yes! The best way to make these ahead is by freezing them. Follow directions through step 6 (up until piping onto a sheet pan). Then, freeze the sheet pans with the duchess potatoes. Once they have hardened, transfer to a freezer-friendly resealable bag and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, arrange on a sheet pan and brush with melted butter and sprinkle parmesan. Bake (frozen) at 425 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, as directed. They may take a few extra minutes.
I’m a huge fan of more flavor! Try adding garlic powder, onion powder, or Italian seasoning.
Yes! Fill the mixture into a large Ziploc bag and cut the end off. Pipe the mixture into mounds and use a fork to form swirls on the potatoes.
And that’s it! They are one of our favorite holiday side dishes because of how beautiful and impressive they are. For the holidays, we always make and freeze them a few days ahead. So much easier and stress-free.
Check out other amazing side dishes to impress your guests:
Tips for Success
- Use yukon gold potatoes. They have a richer yellow color and the perfect texture to allow the Duchess potatoes to hold up properly.
- If possible, use a potato ricer to get fluffy and lump-free potatoes, making it much easier to pipe. You can also use a regular mashed, but they could turn out a bit denser with a few lumps.
- I used an extra large piping tip (the kind you use to frost cupcakes). If you don’t have one, you can pipe the potatoes with a large ziploc bag and use a fork to make swirl designs.
Duchess Potatoes
Equipment
- Large resealable bag or piping bag
- Extra-large star piping tip
Ingredients
- 3 pounds yukon gold potatoes - peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ cup heavy cream - plus more as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese - plus more for sprinkling
- 4 large egg yolks
- Chives for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan (or 2 medium sheet pans) with parchment paper.
- Boil potatoes in a large pot with water (enough to fully submerge potatoes) until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Meanwhile, make the cream and butter mixture: in a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and warm it up. No need to bring to a boil. Set aside.
- Press the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl, or mash with a masher until there are no lumps. Add the cream and butter mixture and combine using a rubber spatula. Tip: I’d highly recommend using a potato ricer for fluffy and lump-free potatoes. That way, it will be easier to pipe. Using a masher can sometimes make it dense and leave lumps behind.
- Mix in parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then, fold in the egg yolks with a rubber spatula until evenly combined. The mixture should be quite thick. If it's very dry, add some more heavy cream (warmed).
- Set up an extra-large piping tip in the corner of a large ziploc or piping bag (with the corner snipped off). Fill half of the potato mixture into the bag and pipe onto the prepared sheet pan, placing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture. Note: if you overfill the bag, it will be a bit hard to pipe.
- Carefully brush the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, melted. Sprinkle with more grated parmesan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed up. Tip: rotate the pans halfway through for even browning.
- Garnish with chives and more cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Potatoes: Use yukon gold potatoes for best results. They have a deeper yellow color and hold up better than, for example, russet potatoes.
- Use a potato ricer: Highly recommended. The potatoes will be fluffier and lump-free, making it much easier to pipe. If you don’t have a potato ricer, you can use a masher, but it may turn out a bit denser with a few lumps.
- Season to taste before adding the eggs. You can add more salt and pepper, or even additional spices, such as garlic powder, onion powder, or Italian seasoning.
- Piping bag and piping tip: For best results, use an extra-large piping tip and a large piping bag. If you don’t have a piping tip, you can still pipe through a bag and add a few swirls and designs using a fork.
- Make-ahead and freezing: The best way to make these ahead is by freezing them. Follow directions through step 6 (up until piping onto a sheet pan). Then, freeze the sheet pans with the duchess potatoes. Once they have hardened, transfer to a freezer-friendly resealable bag and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to serve, arrange on a sheet pan and brush with melted butter and sprinkle parmesan. Bake (frozen) at 425 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, as directed. They may take a few extra minutes.
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