An often overlooked French pastry dough is pate a choux, or choux paste. “Choux” is the French word for cabbage and the baked puffs look like small cabbages. This dough is used to make cream puffs and eclairs and is a wonderful vehicle for chicken salad sandwiches. A pile of cream puffs (held together by caramel) is croquembouche.

But choux paste is not just for dessert; it provides the foundation for pommes dauphine, otherwise known as tater tots. These fried potatoes are as easy as they are irresistable. Plus, they are the best way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Since everyone will have some cold mashed potatoes in the fridge on the day after Thanksgiving, let’s have a tater tot feast! If the potatoes are flavored with garlic, there won’t be another leftover. Call these potatoes by either name; they can be either uptown or downtown in style.

Pommes Dauphine (Tater Tots)

for the choux paste:

• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

vegetable oil for deep-frying

Bring the water and butter to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When the butter has melted, add the flour and salt all at once. Cook for several minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly with a Danish dough whisk. Remove from heat and put the dough into a different bowl to cool for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, stirring very well after adding each egg. Stir in the mashed potatoes. Heat the vegetable oil to 350-375 degrees. Using a #100 disher, scoop the dough into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Do not crowd the oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

For pommes dauphine and other French fried potatoes, join us for a cooking class on Monday, March 17, 6 to 8:30 pm.