Duchesse Potato Ghosts Recipes

Steps:

• Bake fingerling potatoes at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until tender; set aside. , Meanwhile, pierce baking potato several times with a fork. Microwave for 6-7 minutes or until tender. Cut in half and scoop out pulp; discard shell. Place pulp in a small bowl; mash. Stir in the sour cream, cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper until smooth. , Cut each fingerling in half lengthwise. Spoon about 1 tablespoon mashed potato mixture over each potato half. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. , Cut each cheese slice into six rectangles; place one on each stuffed potato. (Save remaining cheese for another use.) Bake at 350° for 10-11 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are heated through. Position olives and green onions on each for eyes and mouths.

Steps:

• Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 15 mins until really tender when pressed into the side of the pan. Drain well and leave to steam-dry in the pan for 2 mins. Mash the potatoes until very smooth - use a ricer if you have one, or use a masher, then press the potatoes through a metal sieve to ensure they're completely lump-free.
• Mix the egg yolk, butter and cheese in a large bowl, then add the mash, nutmeg and some seasoning. Mix well with a spatula until the butter has melted and is well incorporated. It will come away from the sides of the bowl, similar to choux pastry.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Spoon the mash into a piping bag with a wide star nozzle. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and brush over a little vegetable oil. Pipe 20 walnut-sized peaked mounds onto the prepared tray, as if you were icing a cupcake. Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt and brush the potato mounds gently, to keep the fluting.
• Bake the potatoes for 15-20 mins until golden-brown and crisp.

Steps:

• Prepare a piping bag with large open star tip.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Fill a 3-quart pot with 4 inches water and 1 teaspoon salt. Add potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain; return potatoes to the pot.
• Cook potatoes over low heat until remaining water steams off, about 3 minutes. Let cool, at least 15 minutes.
• Place potatoes in a food processor and process until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add butter, egg yolks, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Mix until just combined; spoon into the piping bag.
• Pipe potato mixture onto the prepared baking sheet into eighteen 2-inch rosettes with a circular motion, finishing with a small peak in the center. Refrigerate until slightly firmer, about 25 minutes.
• Mix egg and heavy cream together in a bowl; brush mixture onto the rosettes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Peel and quarter potatoes and in a large saucepan cover with salted cold water by 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and simmer potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.
• While potatoes are simmering, in a small saucepan heat butter with milk over moderately low heat until melted and keep warm.
• Drain potatoes in a colander and force through a ricer or food mill into a bowl. With an electric mixer beat in milk mixture, yolks, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Spread about one third potatoes in a buttered 1-quart gratin dish and transfer remaining potatoes to a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch plain tip. On potatoes in dish pipe potatoes close together into pointed mounds to form "ghosts" and garnish each mound with 2 seeds for ghosts' "eyes". Potatoes may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered loosely.
• Bake potatoes until heated through and tops of "ghosts" are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.