Brioche Potatoes

Brioche potatoes

Prepare a Duchess potato mixture (plain boiled cooked potatoes which are them passed through a sieve or potato ricer, and beaten well with egg yolk and butter or margarine to make a creamy smooth mixture).

Brioche potatoes are basically just 2 little balls of this potato mixture, the smaller one on top to create a brioche or cottage loaf shape.

The larger ball should be around 1" in diameter with the smaller one about a quarter inch.

1. Put your brioche potato mixture balls together as above and place on a baking sheet.
2. Place in a hot oven for a few minutes to harden the edges.
3. Remove form oven and brush all over the beaten egg.
4. Return to oven and cook until they brown slightly. 
5. Serve.

How to Make Potato Croquettes

Potato Croquettes

To make potato croquettes that will taste much nicer than ready-prepared ones you can buy.

• Make a Duchess mixture. 
• Roll them into croquette shapes about 2" x 4" in diameter. 
• Take each croquette roll in flour, then beaten egg and finally breadcrumbs. 
• Set aside until they are all prepared. 
• If necessary, use a palette knife to remould them back into shape. 
• Deep fry in hot fat at 185C until they are an even light golden color all over.
•  Drain well on kitchen paper, and serve in a vegetable dish.

To make a Duchess mixture:

1. Boil your potatoes. 
2. Drain and allow to dry off. 
3. Either use a potato ricer or a masher to mash your potatoes up. 
4. Add one egg for every 1lb (1/2 kg) of potatoes. 
5. Add butter or margarine at the rate of 1oz per lb of potatoes.
6.  Beat well with a wooden spoon. 
7. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

• Wash, peel and rinse potatoes. 
• Boil in salted water for 20 minutes. 
• Drain well.
• Cover with lid, and leave potatoes to dry off inside their pan for a few minutes over a low heat.
• Move potatoes into a clean pan.
• Put potatoes through a ricer, sieve, or potato masher.
• Add 1oz of butter for every 1lb of potatoes in pan.
• Stir in well with a wooden spoon.
• Gradually add about 2 tablespoons of cold milk and stir in well.
• Check and adjust seasoning.
• Place in a serving dish in a dome shape.
• Use a fork to score the surface.

       

How to Make Riced or Snow Potatoes

• Wash and peel and then rinse the potatoes to remove excess starch. 
• Boil in salted water for 20 minutes. 
• Drain well, then place pan lid over potatoes and place on a low heat to dry off the potatoes. 
• When dry, push the potatoes through a potato ricer or metal sieve directly into a serving dish.

How to make riced potatoes

Oven Chips (French Fries)

1. Take 2 lbs of potatoes and wash and peel them. 
2. Slice and then cut again into chip shapes. 
3. Place in a colander and rinse under cold, running water. 
4. Dry inside a clean dish towel. 
5. Place in a bowl or container with oil and shake them around so that they all get a coating. 
6. Put them on to an ovenproof baking tray in a hot oven  (200C/400F/gas mark 6) and 
7. Cook for 30 - 35 mins, turning occasionally to brown them evenly.
8. Place on a serving dish and serve.
9. Enjoy!

Jacket Potatoes

1. Choose some even sized potatoes, allowing approx 8oz per portion. 
2. Scrub your potatoes without peeling (obviously).
3. Place on a baking tray  on top of some salt in a hot oven. 200C/400F/Gas mark 6 for about an hour. 
4. You know they are ready because they are soft to squeeze. If still hard, leave for a bit longer. They can take up to an hour and half to cook. 
5. When ready, remove from oven and place on a serving plate.
6. Split them open and add a topping of your choice. 
7. Butter is gorgeous on a baked jacket potato.

How to Make Duchess Potatoes

Now why anyone would want to go to the bother of making Duchess potatoes, I'll never know! Duchess potatoes are basically just mashed potatoes put through a piping bag so that they make pretty little raised mounds which are then slightly browned in the oven to crisp them up. I reckon some cook invented Duchess potatoes (for some Duchess no doubt) in the Middle ages or some other time in history when there was nothing else to eat bar potatoes!

• Anyway you will want to take your cooked potatoes and mash them. It is a good idea to put them through a special potato ricer and this really smooths all the lumps out.
• Then add 1 egg yolk for every pound of potatoes you are cooking, and beat in well with a wooden spoon to make a really smooth paste. 
• Mix in a little margarine or butter. 
• Then scoop the mixture into a piping bag with a 1 inch sized nozzle. 
• Then squeeze the bag so that some of the mixture comes out on to a greased baking tray. I imagine this takes a bit of practice to perfect. I wouldn't know, I have never owned a piping bag. Too footery for my kitchen. 
• Anyway, you want those little mounds to be about 2" high. Fill the tray with as many as you can make, and stick in a hot oven for a few minutes just to harden the edges a little, so that you can add some beaten egg without it all collapsing. 
• Return to oven and bake until it is lightly browned.