This quarantine has me missing some of the places we were supposed to go this year. Without a doubt, New York City was one of those places. On our list of places to eat, because shallowly enough that is all I think about and have no shame saying so, was Gramercy Tavern. I discovered this restaurant in 2004 and completely fell in love with the diversity in their menu. Every single meal was heavenly.

We were supposed to visit there for our fancy dinner as a family. We would have started off with some of these divine puffed potatoes, duck liver mousse, and the beet salad. Next, we would have moved onto a bolognese pasta, braised beef, and some tavern burgers for the boys. Dessert would’ve consisted of lemon meringue pie and baklava ice cream.

Recently, I purchased and downloaded their digital copy of their cookbook. Needless to say, I have bookmarked so many of these favorites to make at home until we can finally make it to New York. This recipe for puffed potatoes is ridiculously easy and will be sure to please a crowd or yourself!

Puffed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Pepper
Canola oil for frying”

Prepare

1. First, in a medium saucepan, combine the potatoes, a large pinch of salt, and enough water to cover the potatoes by an inch or so. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Next, drain the potatoes, then return to the pan, and toss over medium heat until dry, about a minute. Push the potatoes through a ricer or food mill back into the pan. Season with salt and keep warm.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the butter and ½ cup water to a boil over high heat. Off the heat, add the flour and stir until combined. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the dough, stirring constantly, until it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well incorporated and the dough comes together again, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the riced potatoes and mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
5. In a medium deep saucepan, heat about 1½ inches of oil to 325°F. Working in batches, carefully drop rounded teaspoons of dough into the pan and fry, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. With a skimmer transfer the puffed potatoes to paper towels to drain. Lightly salt and serve immediately.