Pommes Dauphine Food

DAUPHINOISE POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Tip 500ml double cream, 500ml milk and 3 garlic cloves into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.
• Slice 8 large potatoes very finely, about 3-4mm, add them to the cream and simmer for 3 mins until just cooked.
• Gently stir to separate the potato and stop it sinking and catching on the bottom of the pan.
• Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in a wide shallow ovenproof dish so that they are about 5cm in depth.
• Pour over the garlic infused cream (discarding the garlic) - just enough to seep through the layers and leave a little moisture on the surface.
• Scatter over 100g grated gruyère cheese, if using, then bake for 30 mins until the potatoes are soft and browned - increase the heat for 5 mins if not brown enough.

POMMES DAUPHINE

Steps:

• Combine the potatoes and coarse sea salt in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender all the way through when tested with a knife. Drain and let stand until just cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and pass them through a food mill; this will yield about 2 cups of potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a medium baking dish with parchment paper. Spread the potatoes in the dish and bake for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, to evaporate some of their moisture.
• Prepare the pâte-à-choux: combine the butter, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Return to low heat and stir for 1 minute, until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Stir for 3 more minutes to evaporate some of the moisture.
• Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and let cool for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat 1 egg lightly with a fork. Set aside. Add the second egg to the potato mixture and stir with a spatula until well blended. Stir in the beaten egg, tablespoon by tablespoon, just enough to make the pâte-à-choux smooth, shiny and elastic; the entire egg may not be needed.
• Add the potatoes to the pâte-à-choux, season with pepper and beat with a spatula to combine. (To store for up to 8 hours, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface, cover and refrigerate.)
• Heat 4 inches of oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan until a candy thermometer registers 320 to 340 degrees. Line a medium baking dish with a double layer of paper towels. The first pomme dauphine will be a test of the seasoning and the oil temperature. Using 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture, shape a 1-inch ball and drop it into the oil. It should fall to the bottom and bob up after a few seconds. (If it doesn't, the oil isn't hot enough.)
• Fry until puffy, golden and crisp, about 3 minutes, flipping it from time to time with a mesh skimmer. Remove from the oil with the skimmer, transfer to the prepared dish and season with a pinch of salt. Shake the dish lightly so the paper towels absorb excess oil. Let cool for a minute, taste and adjust the seasoning of the potato mixture accordingly.
• Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, frying the pommes in batches of 3 or 4 and stirring them gently with a skimmer so they will not stick to each other. Keep warm in a 300-degree oven until all the batter is used. Serve immediately.

BAKED POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Butter 24 mini muffin cups.
• Combine water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and season with salt. Heat until butter melts and starts to bubble. Stir in flour until mixture pulls away from the pan and comes together into a dough.
• Transfer pastry dough to a bowl. Spread in the bowl and let cool, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs using a spatula until dough is very soft and sticky. Add 2 cups of the mashed potatoes and mix until well combined. Add a pinch of salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Give it one last mix.
• Scoop potato dough into the greased muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 1 minute before removing puffs onto a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

DAUPHINE POTATOES

Steps:

• For the choux paste:.
• Bring the water, salt and butter to a boil in a saucepan.
• Remove from the heat.
• Add the flour and mix in with a wooden spoon.
• Return to a moderate heat and stir continuously until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well.
• Potato mixture:.
• Add the butter and egg yolk to the warm mashed potatoes; mix well.
• Season to taste.
• Mix the choux mixture and the potato mixture together, making sure they are well combined.
• Mould the mixture into cylinder shapes (or quenelle them using two spoons).
• Deep fry in hot oil (185 degrees C./365 degrees F.), until golden.

POTATOES DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. Line an 20cm (8 inch) square tin with baking parchment, making sure there are no holes for the liquid to seep through, then butter the paper. Peel and slice the potatoes to the width of a £1 coin and pat dry.
• Pour the milk and cream into a pan, then add the garlic and thyme. Heat to boiling point, cool a little and strain into a jug. Sprinkle with nutmeg and keep warm. You can prepare this in advance and reheat.
• Layer half the potatoes in the tin, overlapping the slices, sprinkling each layer with a little salt and pepper. Pour over half the liquid and finish layering, then add the rest of the liquid and scatter over the cheese. Bake for 1-1¼ hrs until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden. Leave to stand for 5 mins, then cut into six portions and serve.

FRIED POTATO AND GARLIC PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 225°F. Peel the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, and cut each half in 3. Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until they're completely tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. To check doneness, take a piece out of the pot and cut it at the thickest part. It should sort of break apart and look dry inside. Taste it to be sure, then drain the potatoes well, spread them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 15 minutes to dry completely.
• Pass them through a sieve or food mill into a medium bowl and set them aside. If you'll be cooking the puffs as soon as the dough is ready, leave the oven on so that you can keep batches warm as you fry.
• Meanwhile, make the pâte à choux: In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil with the butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the flour all at once, turn off the heat, and stir with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Return the pan to very low heat and stir for a few minutes until the dough forms a ball and a cooked film begins to develop in the saucepan. Let the dough cool for a couple of minutes, and stir in one of the eggs. The dough will fly apart into seemingly irreconcilable blobs, but do not lose heart; keep stirring, and it will become one again, I promise.
• Beat the other egg in a small bowl and begin to stir it in-you may not want to add all of it in the interest of dryness. Stop adding egg when the dough becomes elastic, smooth, and shiny, and then stir in the potato and garlic paste and mix thoroughly. The dough will be very sticky.
• In a heavy saucepan or skillet, heat 2 to 3 inches of frying oil to 325°F, or until it is shimmery, not smoking, and a tiny dollop of the dough dropped in sizzles energetically, but does not scare you out of the kitchen. Carefully drop a walnut-size piece of dough into the oil to fry for a taster. Taste and adjust for salt and . . . more garlic? . . . cooked longer? There are two ways to proceed with frying: (1) load the dough into a pastry bag, squeeze out short lengths, and cut them off and into the oil with a knife or scissors, or (2) use two spoons to form and scrape dollops into the oil. Fry the puffs until they're golden brown, prodding them with a spider to roll them over and fry the other side as needed.
• Dip them out to drain on a rack or crumpled paper and keep them warm in the oven (without the paper, if that's what you're using) as you fry the rest.
• Notes
• Instead of serving the potato puffs alongside fish, meat, chicken, or beans, make them for a pre-dinner aperitivo that you stand around eating in the kitchen while you fry the next batch.
• In spring, if green garlic stalks are available, thinly slice, rinse, and cook one in butter and a very little bit of salted water. When it's tender, drain and add it to the mix in place of the pounded garlic.
• Add chopped chives, parsley, or thyme, or Parmesan or other gratable aged cheese to the dough.
• Potato-puff- frying oil can be strained and saved, refrigerated, to reuse for up to a week.

POMMES DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Spray pyrex dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Peel potatoes and slice thinly.
• Place potatoes, overlapping slightly, in single layer on bottom of dish. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
• Repeat layers until all potatoes are used.
• In separate bowl, combine cream and milk and stir well.
• Pour milk mixture over the potatoes.
• Cook, uncovered, in microwave on medium 15- 20 minutes. (I usually have trouble with mine boiling over, so it helps to set it on a plate, from which I can pour the liquid right back in!).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle grated cheese over top of potatoes and cook 20 minutes until golden brown on top.