potato fritters

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 800 g potato(s), (cooking weight) floury
• 300 ml water
• 125 g butter
• 200 g wheat flour, type 405
• 1 tsp salt, for the potato water
• ½ tsp salt, for the choux pastry
• 3 egg yolks (size M)
• 2 eggs (size M)
• some white pepper, freshly ground
• some nutmeg, freshly grated
• possibly herbs, freshly chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

Potato fritters, pommes dauphines, dauphine potatoes in various variations

Peel and wash the potatoes and cut into roughly equal-sized pieces. Cook in a little water and a level teaspoon of salt (once the water boils, for about 25 minutes; once the potatoes are boiling, reduce the heat to halfway). Drain the potatoes and let them dry in an uncovered pot on the turned-off stovetop. Press them through a potato ricer and set aside, covered. For the choux pastry, bring 1/4 liter of water to a boil with the butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, stirring until a firm ball of dough forms. Return the pot to the heat and cook the dough for about 3 minutes while stirring, until a white coating forms on the bottom of the pot. Transfer the dough to a bowl, let it cool briefly, and then gradually whisk in the eggs and egg yolks. Season the choux pastry generously with nutmeg and freshly ground pepper, adding a little more salt if desired. Thoroughly mix the choux pastry with the potato mixture and, if desired, with chopped herbs. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and drop strands of doughnuts, about 5-6 cm long, into the hot oil. The oil should be around 160 degrees Celsius. Fry the doughnuts for about 4-5 minutes (until golden yellow). Gently deflate on kitchen paper and serve immediately. The herbs you add should be based on the main course. Rosemary, thyme, or a little sage also work well when the doughnuts are served alone with a dip. For frying, I prefer a mixture of 80% rapeseed oil and clarified butter, or 60% to 40% rapeseed oil and olive oil, if the doughnuts are being served with Mediterranean dishes. Alternatively, you can make the potato doughnuts with a mixture of 75% potatoes and 25% celeriac. They are delicious with game, mushroom, and/or fish dishes.