Begin by boiling the potatoes in salted water until very tender. When the potatoes are fully cooked, strain them and return them to the pot so the residual heat can dry them slightly while they cool to become more managable. At this point, it is absolutely essential to use either a food mill or ricer to “mash” the potatoes so that their starches are not damaged and become pasty by mashing by hand. If you do not have a food mill, you can duplicate the effect by pushing the potato through a conical strainer or a fine meshed colander with a large wooden spoon. This certainly requires more effort, but the finished product is worth it, especially if you’re looking to make a delicious, low fat mashed potato. To the finely milled potato, add the egg yolks and egg, whipping quickly and vigoriously with your spoon to prevent the egg from coagulating. Season this to taste with salt, white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg and you’ll have a light, creamy potato as good or better than any butter and cream variety. To prepare traditional Duchess potatoes, put the prepared mixture into a piping bag and pipe into rosettes onto a baking sheet. Place in a preheated 450 degree oven until lightly browned and serve immediately. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat milk just to a boil, remove from heat and add garlic, bay leaf, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Slice potatoes evenly 1/8″ thick. Use a mandolin, if you have one, but a knife and a good eye will certainly do the trick. Liberally butter the bottom of a 11×11″ baking dish with half of the butter, and evenly arrange a single layer of overlapping potato slices. Repeat with additional, even layers until the layers reach 1/8″ to the top or you run out of potato slices. Remove the garlic and bay leaf from the milk and pour over the potatoes. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the cream just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Remove the potatoes from the oven when the milk has been mostly absorbed, pour the hot cream evenly over the surface and dot with small pieces of the remaining butter. Return this to the oven and bake uncovered until the potatoes begin to crispen to a golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes or so. Cut into slices and serve with a slotted spatula. Cut potatoes to equal edible sizes, if they are not. Cover potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil with a hefty pinch of salt. Cook until a fork easily pierces them, then drain and set aside. Combine mayonnaise, olive oil, mustard, dill, garlic and a good couple grinds of pepper. Adjust taste as necessary. It should be garlicky and tangy. Toss potatoes with dressing and serve. Equally good warm or cold.
