Pommes dauphine is a French version of tater tots made with potatoes, pastry dough, and spices. They are deep-fried and commonly found in French grocery stores. The recipe involves boiling, mashing, and mixing ingredients before frying in hot oil. They are a rustic side dish and pair well with juicy meats.
Originating in the 19th century, pommes dauphine is the French version of tater tots. Made with potatoes and the same pastry dough used for cream puffs, pommes dauphine are savory, deep-fried morsels that can not only be made at home but are also commonly found in the freezer section of French grocery stores — just like you find in America . Considered rustic, pommes dauphine are not generally found in the best French restaurants.
Pommes dauphine is made from potatoes, eggs, butter – all finely diced – and flour. Salt, pepper and nutmeg are also generally added to taste. Cooking oil is also used to fry the potato puffs once they are made.
To make dauphine, potatoes are first boiled in salted water. Once they are soft, they are allowed to cool before being peeled and mashed. Alternatively, they can be peeled before boiling. Once mashed, the potatoes are heated in a pan over very low heat to remove excess moisture. When the mash no longer sticks to the pan, it should be removed from the heat.
The water, salt and butter are heated in a separate pan. When the butter melts, the pan is removed from the heat. Flour is added and the mixture is vigorously stirred until thoroughly combined. Then, it is returned to the heat and dried in the same way as potatoes.
Once dried, the mixture is again removed from the heat and the beaten eggs are added, one at a time, until the mixture has a pasty consistency. Care must be taken not to let the eggs touch the sides of the pan while stirring as the still hot pan can cause them to overcook, resulting in a scrambled egg texture. Next, mashed potatoes are included. The spices are added after the other ingredients have been combined.
When the potatoes, dough and spices are thoroughly mixed, the dough is broken down into small spoonfuls. These dollops can be placed directly into hot oil for frying, but are often placed onto a floured tray using a spoon or pastry bag. Then, they are added to hot oil in batches and fried until puffy and brown.
Pommes dauphine should be eaten fresh, while it is still hot, but it is easily reheated. They are also microwaveable. These potato puffs make a nice, rustic side dish and are excellent when paired with beef, chicken, or other juicy meat, because the pastry is soaked in the meat juices.
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