Prized for its presentation, this sophisticated French potato dish dates back to the 1700s, when it was created — and given its aristocratic name — to help elevate the humble tuber’s reputation in France, where it had yet to be widely adopted by home cooks. It requires a little more effort than the typical potato side dish: You boil the potatoes, mix them with extravagant amounts of butter, cheese, and eggs, toss them on parchment, and bake until toasted. But it is visually stunning and so is the result: creamy potatoes wrapped in a delicate crust. Duchess potatoes are typically piped into delicate circles or cooked in a casserole, but this version is a little more modern, with whimsical squiggles inspired by the whipped ricotta crostini TO Mission. Season them to your liking and cook them when time allows; they can be made and refrigerated ahead of time, then baked right before dinner.
