Dauphine Potatoes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital scale accurate to 1 g
• •Two rimmed trays and a wire cooling rack
• •3 to 4 quart (3 to 4 L) heavy saucepan
• •Clip-on deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire skimmer or spider

Instructions

1. 1

   Test the potato paste

   Check the potato croquette paste before portioning it. A spoon drawn through the paste should leave a clean trench, and a small mound should hold its ridges without spreading. If it slumps or leaves watery moisture behind, don't disguise the problem with flour. Ça se rattrape: return the whole supply to a wide pan over gentle heat and stir just until the excess moisture leaves, then cool it completely before weighing the required 454 g. The finished paste will feel firmer than ordinary mashed potato. It is exactly right.

   The weight decides the formula. Volume is included for convenience, but potato paste compacts and pâte à choux holds air, so use the scale whenever possible.
2. 2

   Fold in the choux

   Weigh 170 g, exactly six ounces, of the prepared Common Pâte à Choux (for Souffléd Fritters, Gnochi, Potatoes à la Dauphine) (No. 2374). Add it to the potato paste in three portions, folding firmly with a sturdy spatula after each addition until no pale choux streaks remain. Mix thoroughly, as the book directs, but don't beat the paste into glue. It should be tacky yet capable of holding a mound; if the warmth of mixing makes it smear, chill it for ten minutes rather than adding flour.

3. 3

   Shape small cylinders

   Divide the mixture into 24 portions of about 26 g each. With lightly floured hands, roll each into a neat cylinder about 1½ inches (4 cm) long and ¾ inch (2 cm) thick, keeping the ends blunt and the thickness even. Pinch any visible cracks closed, because a crack becomes an escape route in the fryer. Set the cylinders apart on a floured tray as you work.

4. 4

   Paner à l’anglaise

   Paner à l’anglaise, bread in the English manner, means giving each cylinder three complete layers. Roll first in flour and tap off every loose patch, dip into the prepared Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174), letting the excess fall away, then roll in the fine breadcrumbs. Press lightly so the crumbs adhere without flattening the cylinder. Look closely for bald spots and coat them again. Rest the breaded potatoes in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so the crust bonds.

5. 5

   Heat the frying oil

   Pour the oil into a heavy 3 to 4 quart (3 to 4 L) saucepan; it should stand about 2 inches (5 cm) deep and never fill the pan beyond halfway. Heat it to 350°F (180°C), using a thermometer rather than guessing. The original kitchen relied on a fryer kept very hot through service. Your thermometer is the honest home equivalent, and it matters because the coating must set the instant it touches the oil.

   Keep water away from the oil, lower each cylinder with a wire skimmer, and let the oil cool completely in the pan before straining or discarding it.
6. 6

   Fry to deep gold

   Fry one cylinder alone as a test. It should bubble briskly, rise slightly, and turn an even deep gold in 4 to 5 minutes without darkening in the first two. Fry the rest in batches of five or six, turning them gently and allowing the oil to return to 350°F (180°C) between batches. If one splits, lift it out before the filling escapes. Ça se rattrape: check that the oil has not fallen below 345°F (175°C), patch any bare spots on the remaining cylinders with the Anglaise (for Egg-and-bread-crumbing) (No. 174) and crumbs, then chill them for ten minutes before testing another. If the coating is complete and the oil is correct but the mixture still leaks, the potato paste was too wet; keep the remaining pieces well chilled and fry them one at a time.

7. 7

   Drain and serve

   Lift the pommes dauphine onto a wire rack and leave them for two minutes, just long enough for excess oil to fall away while the crust stays crisp. Break open the test piece: the centre should be pale, tender, and lightly aerated, with no sticky streak of uncooked choux. Bring them to the table within ten minutes, beside a roast and its jus rather than buried beneath it. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Keep the book’s ratio exactly: six ounces of choux for every pound of potato paste. More choux makes the mixture difficult to contain; less leaves an ordinary croquette with none of the characteristic lift.
• •Use fine, dry breadcrumbs. Coarse crumbs leave gaps where the soft filling can escape, while a fine coat forms the dense, resisting crust this preparation requires.
• •A heavy saucepan and thermometer are more useful than a countertop fryer for this quantity. Fry in small batches, because crowding drops the temperature and turns a crisp coating greasy.
• •Serve pommes dauphine with roast chicken, beef, or veal and pass the jus separately. Sauce poured over the platter softens the crust before anyone reaches for seconds.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the potato croquette paste up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Bring it only to cool room temperature before checking its dryness and weighing it.
• •Prepare the Common Pâte à Choux (for Souffléd Fritters, Gnochi, Potatoes à la Dauphine) (No. 2374) earlier the same day, then keep it covered so its surface doesn't form a skin.
• •The cylinders can be shaped and coated up to 4 hours before frying. Refrigerate them in one layer, uncovered for the first 15 minutes to set the coating, then cover loosely.
• •Pommes dauphine are best fried just before serving. If necessary, hold them on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven for no more than 10 minutes; a covered dish traps moisture and softens the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 215g)