Here I’ll show you THE most delicious way to make Duchess Potatoes!
I never thought I’d see the day where I uploaded a recipe where you need a piping bag, but here we are. And for a delicious cause! Follow me…
Duchess Potatoes
This is the kind of recipe that looks really fancy, but in reality it’s really easy to make, especially the more times you make it.
What are Duchess Potatoes?
A duchess potato is essentially mashed potato that is passed through a piping bag to create small mounds, and then baked until crisp. It’s a French dish and serves as a side dish for many recipes.
Today we’re going to do a delicious twist and make garlic and parmesan loaded duchess potatoes.
Roasted Garlic
Garlic mashed potato is great, but roasted garlic mashed potato is even better. When you roast garlic it turns gorgeously sweet and sticky. It completely transforms the flavour of the garlic into a much more subtle, nutty flavour.
The texture of the garlic also transforms too. Roasting the garlic low and slow turns the garlic buttery soft. It can then be squeezed out of the skins and blended into the mashed potato with ease. This is good because we want the mashed potato as smooth as possible so it’s easily piped.
Process shots: slice tip of garlic bulb (photos 1&2), drizzle with oil (photo 3), wrap in foil (photo 4), roast (photo 5), squeeze out garlic (photo 6).
Garlic Parmesan Duchess Potatoes
Making duchess potatoes takes a little time, but it’s a really straightforward process. There’s just a few pitfalls to avoid to ensure they come out perfect every time.
Boiling the potatoes
Firstly, make sure the water is heavily salted, just to give the potatoes a good base seasoning (nobody likes bland potatoes!). Secondly, make sure you don’t over-boil them. Just boil them until fork-tender. If you over-boil them they’ll soak in too much water and result in a sloppy mash, which in turn makes it difficult for the duchess potatoes to keep shape in the oven. Lastly, you’ll want to let them sit in the colander and steam dry before mashing, just to allow some of the excess moisture to escape.
Mashing the potatoes
Ensure you mash the potatoes until fairly smooth. Don’t go overboard or the potatoes can turn gluey. Alongside butter, cream, garlic and parmesan, you’ll want to stir through some egg yolks. These are key as they help the potatoes keep shape in the oven.
Piping the potatoes
Realistically you can pipe them into any shape, but classically they should look like swirly domes (yes, technical term 🤣). A large/jumbo star tip will help you achieve this. Just don’t make them too big otherwise they’ll collapse in the oven. Smaller duchess potatoes will keep shape more easily.
Process shots: boil and drain potatoes (photo 1), mash in cream and butter (photo 2), stir in parmesan, garlic and seasoning then egg yolks (photo 3), fit a piping bag over pint glass (photo 4), spoon in mash (photo 5), pipe duchess potatoes (photo 6).
Duchess Potatoes FAQ
How garlicky are these?
They’re pretty garlicky, but because the garlic is roasted it’s not too pungent. I use a large bulb of garlic, but if you’re at all tentative just use a small one.
How do I prevent them from collapsing?
All of the tips above will help you. The perfect boiling/steaming of the potatoes helps, as do the egg yolks and the size of the duchess potatoes. If they do spread out in the oven don’t panic as they’ll still taste delish!
Can I make them ahead of time?
If you want to make them ahead of time just allow them to cool and then store them in the freezer. From there, you can bake from frozen at 180C/350F for about 12-15mins, or until crisp on the outside and piping hot right through the centre.
Serving Duchess Potatoes
These make an awesome Side Dish for so many Dinners. They’re even great as part of a Roast Dinner with some Gravy.
And if you’re concerned of the mix of cheese and gravy, just remember that cheesy chips and gravy is a British delicacy 😛
For more garlic parmesan recipes check out my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers and Garlic Parmesan Sausage Orzo!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these roasted garlic parmesan duchess potatoes shall we?!
How to make the best Duchess Potatoes (Full Recipe & Video)
Garlic Parmesan Duchess Potatoes
Equipment
- Sharp Knife, Chopping Board & Potato Peeler
- Foil (for roasting garlic)
- Large Pot & Colander (for potatoes)
- Potato Masher & Wooden Spoon (for mash)
- Fine Cheese Grater (for parmesan)
- Piping Bag & Large Star Tip (for duchess potatoes)
- Large Baking Tray & Baking Paper (for baking potatoes)
- Brush or Spoon (to pour butter over duchess potatoes)
Ingredients
- 1 large bulb of Garlic
- 1.3kg / 2.8lb Baking Potatoes
- 5 tbsp / 75g Butter, 2 tbsp/30g melted, the rest left at room temp
- 2 tbsp Double / Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 60g / 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
- 4 large Egg Yolks
- finely diced Fresh Parsley, to serve
- Olive Oil, as needed
- Salt & Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Slice the tip off the garlic bulb to expose the cloves and drizzle with oil. Wrap in foil then place in the oven at 180C/356F for 50-60mins, or until very soft, golden and caramelised. Leave to cool for a few mins, then squeeze out as much as you can, making sure the outer peel doesn't mix in. Sprinkle over a pinch of salt then mash with a fork to smooth out any lumpy parts. Increase oven temp to 200C/400F.
- Meanwhile, peel and dice the potatoes into large bite-sized pieces. Add to a large pot of cold water with 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender (they should just about break apart when stabbed). Drain and leave in the colander for 5 minutes to steam dry, shaking once halfway.
- Add the potatoes to the pot and mash with 3 tbsp / 45g butter alongside the cream. Stir in the parmesan and roasted garlic, mashing a little more to smooth out any lumps if needed. Generously season with salt and pepper (to taste). If the mash is still aggressively steaming just leave it to cool for a few mins, then one by one firmly stir in the egg yolks until well blended.
- Spoon the mash into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (you'll need to work in batches). Pipe the mash into swirly dome shapes on a large baking tray with baking paper. They should be around 2.5-3"/6.5-7.5cm wide/high and you should get 10 from the mix.
- Carefully drip butter over the tops (it should swirl down and coat the potatoes) then bake in the oven for 15-20mins, or until golden brown. Be vigilant as they can char quickly and turn the tray around if one side is cooking more than the other. Lower temp slightly if they start charring quickly.
- Serve with parsley and more parmesan and then tuck in and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
12/25/2024 Christmas Dinner. Second time making these! A bit more proficient with pipping and pastry bag!! Had to add extra cream.. may have had too many potatoes. Love the roasted garlic but did add more garlic powder. So pretty and so tasty!
Thanks so much for the review, Bonnie! 🙂 C.
12/11/2024 Made a 1/2 batch for practice ( These are on my Christmas dinner menu) Love the garlic! My pastry bag skills are seriously lacking… but improved. The last 2 were visually acceptable…. but all taste great!
Thanks so much for the review, Bonnie! 🙂 C.
Can you skip the egg?
Hi Melissa! I don’t recommend skipping the egg. It’s important to bind the mash and help the potatoes keep structure in the oven. C.
Omg these were so delish !! The roasted garlic was * chefs kiss *
Great to hear, Mary! Thanks for the review! C.