Cooking Lesson #169 Baked & Stuffed Duchess Potatoes

The 2020 Holidays Recipe Collection

How you doin’? Are you trying to get everything cooked for the holidays? If you have a lot of people coming over (wait… what am I saying??) and you don’t have two ovens, you’re going to be in a world of hurt. This recipe is for my do-ahead mashed potatoes that are stuffed back in their skins. The texture is like that of mashed potatoes, only better, and can be made ahead of time for the holiday meal.
 
These potatoes are Joan’s favorite! You can see why with the amount of dairy in these spuds. (Oh… Joan is from Wisconsin—the dairy state—this recipe will keep both the farmers and the cows contented—and you, too!).
 
Prep time:  40 minutes
Bake time:  1 hour
Re-bake time: 30 to 40 minutes
Yield:  8 Servings
 
Ingredients:
5 to 6 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean (5 pounds)
2 tablespoons Kosher salt, divided
3 large egg yolks
4 tablespoon finely grated garlic
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely ground black peppercorns,
1 cup finely-shredded Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chopped chives (optional)
2 tablespoons crisp bacon, finely chopped (optional)
 
Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400⁰ F.
2. Lightly oil the potatoes and sprinkle with a little coarse salt.
3. Fork-prick the potatoes one time to prevent them from exploding in the oven.
4. Place potatoes on large on a sheet pan and baked them in the oven for about an hour.
5. When the potatoes are soft to the touch and give a little, take them out of the oven to cool.
6. After the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, cut them in half and carefully scoop out the innards and set the empty potato skins aside.
7. Put the potato innards them through a ricer or a food mill (or mash them by hand if you don’t mind a few lumps) directly into a large bowl. Save the
8. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, garlic, cream, sour cream, butter and pepper. Season generously with salt.
9. Mix the egg mixture into the potatoes.
10. Gently fold in the shredded cheese (being careful not to over mix).
11. Using a pastry bag or large spoon transfer the potatoes back into the baked skins. Decoratively swirl the surface and sprinkle with a little paprika.  
12. Re-bake the stuffed potatoes, rotating once, until golden brown and slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
13. Garnish with chopped chives and crispy bacon (if using).

ChefSecret:  If you’ve done the math then you know you should only need 4 potatoes to make 8 servings. I don’t like the way they look using just the right number of potatoes—they are flat and even with the skin—so I bake a couple of extra potatoes and use the extra meat to overfill the skins; I toss away the extra skins. It is also an insurance policy to have extra skins in case you break one (that happens to me all the time).
 
Baked & Stuffed Duchess Potatoes can be assembled a day ahead. Cover with food film and refrigerate. Increase re-bake time by 5–10 minutes.
 
Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  I don't know why my fishing buddy is worried about Coronavirus, he never catches anything.
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Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

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