Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Baked Potato Puffs – A New Way to Pomme Dauphine from a Potato Fiend

The hardest line cook job I ever had was working the broiler station at the Carnelian Room, where on a busy night I’d prepare over 250 steaks and chops, which wasn’t even the most difficult part. No, the biggest challenge was actually frying these potato puffs to order, to go on all those plates.

It was a lot of work, but a labor of love, since pomme dauphine, as my French friends would call this, is one of the greatest foods ever invented, especially for potato fanatics like me. However, as with most fried foods, they can be messy to make, and unless you have an industrial-strength hood fan, your kitchen will smell like a deep fryer for days, which is why I wanted to try and do a baked version.

I was very happy with the results, and while the outside wasn’t dark and crispy like the fried version, the inside was virtually identical, and thoroughly enjoyable in their own right. Whether you’re making them as a warm snack with a dip, or to go alongside some eggs, or a grilled steak, the baked version should work out just fine.

Of course, since we’re getting close to Thanksgiving, if you are one of these people who deep-fries the turkey, I would probably go with the traditional method. Especially since you’ll be cooking outside where sneaking a few of these while you’re working will be pretty easy to get away with. Either way, I really do hope you give these potato puffs a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 12 Small Baked Potato Puffs:
(I did a tiny test batch, so I highly recommend doubling or tripling the recipe)
1 cup cooked, plain mashed potatoes (Yukon or Russet)
salt and cayenne to taste
small pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
butter for the muffin tin
For the pastry dough:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg

- For a mini muffin tin*, butter well, and bake at 450 F for about 20 minutes, or until browned and puffed.

- Or, deep-fry at 375 F for a few minutes until browned and puffed.

* These might work in a regular muffin tin, but you’ll need to bake longer.

40 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Chef John,

These potato puffs look really good but I was wondering if we could get another video about the squash birds? Or something similarly goofy like that :)

Unknown said...

Can I make the dough a day ahead of time before I bake them? Or would you not recommend that?

Unknown said...

So I made these with the recipe doubled and I baked them until the tops were fully golden brown, not wanting to risk further cooking in case I burn them. I still notice a bit of a bready or doughy taste, is that normal?

Annie said...

phwoar!

So going to make these

Thanks John

Annie

Unknown said...

I just want to thank you, Chef John, for EVERY wonderful recipe which you share with us. I found you through AllRecipes, and am so excited to have found your Blog! I know that when I make one of your recipes, it will be fantastic! Your humor is appreciated also : ) God Bless you for sharing your talents with the world. If you are ever in the Pittsburgh area, I'd love to shake your hand and serve with you some ethnic favorites ... pirohi, halupki, etc...

Pyrofish said...

This is definitely going into my Holiday repertoire. I'm always looking for tasty ways to use choux paste. I usually land on the Rosemary/black pepper/Gruyere version that you shared so long ago.

Rebecca said...

So what do you think would happen if I made these up and instead of using muffin tins scoped them onto a bakeing sheet and hit them with a quick shot of cooking spray?

Unknown said...

I never heard of these before but I made them for dinner this evening. They were absolutely delicious. This recipe is a keeper. Next time I'm going to try cooking them as waffles.

Unknown said...

I recently got diagnosed with Coeliac disease and am keen to make these. Would Gluten Free All-Purpose flour work to make these? Or should I try using rice flour or corn flour?

Babe3Ruth said...

Can the batter be made ahead of time?

Unknown said...

Is that self-rising flour?

rodentraiser said...

I have some Yukon gold potatoes that I have to use up, so I'm doing this tomorrow. I think I'll add cheese to a couple along with the bacon and see how they turn out.

Unknown said...

I doubled the recipe, and made 12 regular size muffins. Cooked at 400 (200) for about 45 minutes. They came out awesome! Nice and chewy!

Unknown said...

Hi chef John, highly recommend you try out a Kafta and Batata recipe (Lebanese Arabic for "Kafta and Potatoes"). It's really a delicious meal, a favorite among Lebanese and non-Lebanese samplers of my cooking. It's simple but also fairly customizable so I think you'd like it. Here's the recipe I usually go to http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/kafta-patties-topped-with-potatoes-and-tomatoes-kafta-bel-saniyeh/ although I think the potatoes can use more cooking time.

Momma 2 miss y said...

Can you do Madeleines?

Marc Moretti said...

Just made these with broccoli, old cheddar and chive mixed in. I figured these would be tasty but not this good! Nice recipe! And it's baked so that means it's healthy right?

Sparks said...

Thanks for the recipe! I was hoping to do these as a side dish for xmas dinner, but you know how much fun it is doing sixteen different things simultaneously in a family kitchen just big enough to do four things at once, so how would you recommend doing pre-prep?

Can you make up the dough the day before and just bake off on the day? Can you parcook them and just drop them in the deep frier for two minutes to reheat and finish off? Can they be fully cooked and just reheated?

Thanks in advance for any words of advice!

JCS said...

Dang! I just made these amd they are AMAZING! thanks Chef John!

misterbunn said...

These were yummy, but you have to eat them fresh. They're awful when reheated.

Unknown said...

Made these over the weekend, doubled the portion. Turned out really good and was easy to make. I made some plain, some with garlic butter, and some with shredded cheese. I think bacon would work well. The only thing is they're only crispy when fresh. I guess I should try reheating in the oven to try to bring the crispiness back!

Pyrofish said...

For the make ahead folks, the Choux dough can be made ahead and put in the fridge. I'm not sure if you can do it with the potatoes added though. I like to make the choux dough ahead of time when I make Chef John's Black Pepper Thyme Gruyere Cheese Puffs, and they always come out great!

Unknown said...

HOW 'BOUT WITH SWEET POTATOES?

Hey Chef John:

Do you think this recipe would work with sweet potatoes? We know that sweet potatoes are more fibrous than white potatoes, but if cooked, dried and riced sufficiently, might sweet potatoes be coaxed into an acceptable texture for these baked pommes dauphine?

Hoping you'll find a moment to answer but meanwhile we're gonna try your recipe using sweet potatoes. We'll let you know what happens . . . . .

Robinson said...

Now this is something I was looking for! An easy & delicious homemade recipes. You can add another quick and easy falafel recipes to your list.

Robinson said...

Now this is something I was looking for! An easy & delicious homemade recipes. You can add another quick and easy falafel recipes to your list.

Unknown said...

I am drooling! Want to make this for my little one too but he's allergic to eggs. Has anyone tried this with an egg substitute?

Eric Rummel said...

Hi Chef John, I like your Baked Potato Puffs recipe very much and I always appreciate the way you are cooking simple food in a most delicious way. I am also a restaurateur and love to try new recipes every day. Thanks for sharing this one.

Thanks from Pizza Primo

Cascade Diver said...

I'm tempted to try this with sweet potatoes. Similar to your Sweet Potato Soufflés

CallMeWhatYouLike said...

@Unknown - Can you make it ahead? If I've learned nothing else from Chef John it is that "You are the Honey Boo Boo of your pate choux." So I'd say probably, though it may be a good idea to wrap in plastic wrap to prevent drying. Also, being dough, it probably freezes well. Give it a shot, what do you have to lose?

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Unknown said...

I like the recipe however, I wanted to try something with sweet potatoes as a dessert. So instead of potatoes I used sweet potatoes and seasoned it with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and brown sugar. They turned out great! I wanted to see if anyone was thinking along the same line as me.

Lady said...

Chef John,
You are my hero! I love to cook and every one of your recipes come out perfect.

Jurij said...

Happy New Year!

I just had to try and make these puffs. Test batch first and after pretty good first results, I decided to make this as one of welcoming starters for Christmas dinner. Combined with your Thai Chilli Dip they were a huge success!
I repeated the same for New Year's dinner last night as a snack for kids and they loved it with some simple sweet marmelade dips.

What I wanted to coment is the technique you mention - I tried spatula, whisker+spatula :) and last night I just simply used the same potato smasher I used to make potato mash. Works very well. I just mixed both cooled parts + egg and smashed away. Quick and efficient.

P.S. I tried a batch with sweet potatoes - not good.. I mean it was sweet but just too wet and mushy and burned by the time the regular potato version was done.

Timmy75 said...

For leftovers, do NOT make the container air tight. Cooked/baked potatoes develop an unpleasant under taste when deprived of oxygen. Cover the container with a paper towel affixed with a rubber band. Any dehydration that might occur in the fridge is remedied by giving the puffs a light misting with water (from a spray bottle).

James Wilson said...

Hey John,

I like this Potato Puffs. I just had to try and make these puffs. Amazing Post, Thank you for sharing this post really this is awesome and very useful. Well if you get time you must read more on Mazzios menu

fab.amber said...

I haven’t seen this addressed, so forgive me if I’m repeating.

I believe that thing is called a ricer because the stuff that squeezes out looks like rice.

Can’t wait to try these....I just kind of wish that the ingredients list included more instructions as well. It’s not always practical to play the video in the kitchen while I’m cooking, and it’s a lot of work transcribing the video to print.

That said:
Everything I’ve made from this site has turned out AMAZING!

M Ronnie Williams said...

Hello Chef John. I got this recipe from a friend and sat on it for months. I did the recipe today and OMG it was delicious. The puffs were beautifully light and crisp on the outside and moist and soft on the outside. I even added minced onions and cheddar cheese. It's so delicious, I can't believe I waited to make them. Thank you. Now if I only knew how to include a photo. I'll work on that one. I'm using my phone at the moment.

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Unknown said...

Avoid doughy taste by stirring the floury dough over a flame for two or three minutes until it's done, before you add it to the mash, just like you do with all flour-based sauces and soups.

goddess of sappho said...

Hello Chef John! I just purchased an aebleskiver pan pan...do you think this would work to bake them, or cook them on the stove in the aebleskiver pan? Also, if I cooked them n the stovetop in this pan, before I added something to the top, I could put a filling inside...don't you think? I have not tried this, yet, but I am gonna try.

There are some who call me... Tim said...

I couldn't decide between calling these "Potato Puffs" or "Mashed Potato Tots" but then it hit me: faux pomme dauphine! How delightfully pretentious!