Papas Duquesas (Chilean Potato Puffs)
My daughter who is spending a semester studying in Chile gave me a fun cookbook for Christmas called Tasting Chile: A Celebration of Authentic Chilean Foods and Wines. The potato puffs that I made from the book today were a big hit with my family. You probably wouldn't want to make them every day, but they're a yummy treat now and then. Since I can never follow a recipe exactly, here's my adaptation of the recipe from the book.
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Serves 4-6, about 30 balls
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 cup of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1. Boil potatoes in salted water until very soft, about 20 minutes. Drain off water and mash. Cool in fridge for about 10 minutes, or until they are cool enough to handle. Add salt, pepper and half of the parmesan cheese, mixing until just combined. Roll mixture into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Set on wax paper or a cookie sheet.
2. Separate yolks from 3 eggs. I've found the easiest way to do this is to gently break the eggs into a bowl, taking care not to break the yolk. Then simply scoop the yolks out with your hand, letting the whites drain back into the bowl. Set yolks into a separate bowl, and whisk.
3. In another bowl combine bread crumbs with the remaining parmesan cheese. Dip potato balls into the egg yolk, rolling to coat, then roll in bread crumb mixture. This works best if you devote one hand to the wet rolling, and the other hand to the dry crumbs. Continue until all potatoes balls are coated with egg and crumbs.
4. Pour the oil into a small heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium heat until oil begins to ripple and reaches about 300 degrees. Cook potato balls, a few at a time, removing them to a paper towel when they're golden brown. As oil continues to heat, you will need to gradually turn heat down to prevent potato balls from cooking too rapidly. These potatoes are lovely with salmon and a green salad, and are also delicious dipped in applesauce.