Garlicky Potato Puffs Recipes

MOM'S POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the mashed potatoes and egg until well blended.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or heavy deep skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Carefully drop the potato mixture by spoonfuls into the hot oil, and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oil to drain on paper towels.

POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water; season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes; drain. Pass the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl or mash with a potato masher until smooth.
• Combine the milk, butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Return the saucepan to the stove and cook over low heat, stirring, until the mixture comes together and pulls away from the side of the pan, about 1 minute. Continue stirring until the mixture is slightly shiny, about 4 more minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, about 1 minute. Add half of the mashed potatoes and the whole egg and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining potatoes and the egg yolks and beat until creamy and smooth, about 1 more minute. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Set a large piece of parchment paper on a cutting board. Pipe about 24 mounds (1 to 1 1/2 inches each) of the potato mixture on the parchment. Cut the parchment between the mounds with a paring knife so each puff sits on its own piece of paper.
• Heat 2 inches of peanut oil in a large pot until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F. Working in batches, carefully invert each puff into the oil, leaving it on the parchment. The parchment will fall off as the puffs cook; remove with tongs. Fry until golden, turning as needed, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; season with salt.

POTATO PUFF GRATIN

Steps:

• Bake half a 28-ounce bag frozen potato puffs in a 2-quart baking dish at 425˚ until crisp, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook 1 tablespoon each butter and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking, until melted. Whisk in 1 1/4 cups milk, 1 small grated garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a pinch of cayenne. Simmer until thickened, 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup grated gruyère. Pour over the potato puffs. Broil until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Top with chopped chives.

FRIED POTATO AND GARLIC PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 225°F. Peel the potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, and cut each half in 3. Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until they're completely tender but not falling apart, about 20 minutes. To check doneness, take a piece out of the pot and cut it at the thickest part. It should sort of break apart and look dry inside. Taste it to be sure, then drain the potatoes well, spread them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 15 minutes to dry completely.
• Pass them through a sieve or food mill into a medium bowl and set them aside. If you'll be cooking the puffs as soon as the dough is ready, leave the oven on so that you can keep batches warm as you fry.
• Meanwhile, make the pâte à choux: In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil with the butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the flour all at once, turn off the heat, and stir with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Return the pan to very low heat and stir for a few minutes until the dough forms a ball and a cooked film begins to develop in the saucepan. Let the dough cool for a couple of minutes, and stir in one of the eggs. The dough will fly apart into seemingly irreconcilable blobs, but do not lose heart; keep stirring, and it will become one again, I promise.
• Beat the other egg in a small bowl and begin to stir it in-you may not want to add all of it in the interest of dryness. Stop adding egg when the dough becomes elastic, smooth, and shiny, and then stir in the potato and garlic paste and mix thoroughly. The dough will be very sticky.
• In a heavy saucepan or skillet, heat 2 to 3 inches of frying oil to 325°F, or until it is shimmery, not smoking, and a tiny dollop of the dough dropped in sizzles energetically, but does not scare you out of the kitchen. Carefully drop a walnut-size piece of dough into the oil to fry for a taster. Taste and adjust for salt and . . . more garlic? . . . cooked longer? There are two ways to proceed with frying: (1) load the dough into a pastry bag, squeeze out short lengths, and cut them off and into the oil with a knife or scissors, or (2) use two spoons to form and scrape dollops into the oil. Fry the puffs until they're golden brown, prodding them with a spider to roll them over and fry the other side as needed.
• Dip them out to drain on a rack or crumpled paper and keep them warm in the oven (without the paper, if that's what you're using) as you fry the rest.
• Notes
• Instead of serving the potato puffs alongside fish, meat, chicken, or beans, make them for a pre-dinner aperitivo that you stand around eating in the kitchen while you fry the next batch.
• In spring, if green garlic stalks are available, thinly slice, rinse, and cook one in butter and a very little bit of salted water. When it's tender, drain and add it to the mix in place of the pounded garlic.
• Add chopped chives, parsley, or thyme, or Parmesan or other gratable aged cheese to the dough.
• Potato-puff- frying oil can be strained and saved, refrigerated, to reuse for up to a week.

BAKED POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Butter 24 mini muffin cups.
• Combine water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and season with salt. Heat until butter melts and starts to bubble. Stir in flour until mixture pulls away from the pan and comes together into a dough.
• Transfer pastry dough to a bowl. Spread in the bowl and let cool, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs using a spatula until dough is very soft and sticky. Add 2 cups of the mashed potatoes and mix until well combined. Add a pinch of salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. Give it one last mix.
• Scoop potato dough into the greased muffin cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 1 minute before removing puffs onto a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

SWISS POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat., Combine the flour and potato flakes; slowly stir into pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in cheese., Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg yolks. Add potatoes, Parmesan cheese, parsley, onion and garlic powder; mix well. Beat egg whites until stiff; fold into the potato mixture. Brush eight muffin cups or small ramekins generously with melted butter. Divide potato mixture into cups. Brush remaining butter over potatoes. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve immediately.

GARLICKY POTATO PUFFS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
• Add the minced garlic to the melted butter and allow to stand until needed.
• Peel, dice, and boil potatoes till tender; mash with a potato masher.
• Add all ingredients to the potatoes and mix well.
• Place large tablespoons of the mixture in a buttered baking dish or on a cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle each with paprika, if desired.
• Bake in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

AIR FRYER POTATO PUFFS WITH VODKA DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• For the potato puffs: Put the potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook at a steady boil, adding more water to cover the potatoes if necessary, until the potatoes can be pierced easily with the tip of a knife, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, make the vodka sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and a generous pinch each of salt and black pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vodka and tomato sauce. Return the saucepan to medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until all the alcohol cooks off, about 7 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and basil. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
• Peel the potatoes and cut the flesh into large pieces. Pass the potato flesh through a ricer (or the large holes of a box grater) into a mound on a clean work surface and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let the potatoes cool completely.
• Sprinkle the flour over the mound of potatoes. Drizzle the egg over the flour and begin to combine with a fork until everything starts to clump together. Use your hands to gently knead and fully combine the ingredients, about 2 minutes; do not overwork the dough. Gather the dough into a ball.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the dough into 4 wedges. Working with one wedge at a time, roll the dough into a log 3/4 inch in diameter on a lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the log into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball between your palms. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Transfer half of the potato dough balls to the basket of a 6-quart air fryer, spacing them apart, and spray generously with olive oil cooking spray. Cook at 350 degrees F, shaking the basket halfway through, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Repeat with the remaining potato dough balls. Serve with the warm vodka sauce on the side, for dipping.

GARLICKY FONDANT POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil and butter in a large roasting tin. Add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for 2 mins. Tip in the potatoes and toss to coat in the garlic butter and oil.
• Pour the stock over the potatoes and season with pepper and a little salt. Bring to the boil then transfer to the oven. Cook for 40-45 mins or until tender.
• Transfer to the stove-top and toss over a medium heat until most of the liquid has been absorbed and turned to a shiny glaze - about 15 mins. Tip potatoes into a warm serving dish and scatter over the thyme and serve.

BAKED CHEESY SAMOSA PUFFS

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and pour in cold water to cover by 1". Season generously with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are very tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle.
• Peel potatoes, then place in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork until mostly smooth with some pea-size pieces remaining.
• Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Cook cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and asafetida, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add chile and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened, about 30 seconds. Stir in coriander, turmeric, and 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add potatoes and mix until spiced oil is thoroughly incorporated. Return potato mixture to bowl and let cool.
• Stir cheese, cilantro, lime juice, garam masala, and sugar into potato mixture. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
• Unfold puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut into eighteen 2½" squares. Roll out each square to about 4½", then divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Working one at a time, brush edges of pastry with egg. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of potato mixture onto center of each square. Fold pastry in half by bringing one of the top corners up and over filling and matching it up with the opposite bottom corner to make a triangle. Pinch edges together to seal, then crimp with a fork. Brush tops with egg. Chill puffs 15 minutes.
• Bake puffs until pastry is golden brown and cheese is melted, 25-30 minutes. (Some cheese may ooze out and that is okay.)
• Serve puffs with ketchup, green chutney, or hot sauce for dipping.