Duchess Potato Nests with Broccoli Rabe
- Gluten Free
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 40 min
- Cook time: 30 min
- Makes: 9
PRESENTATION
Duchess potatoes get a serious upgrade in Puglia, where folks whip up these potato nests with turnip greens for the holidays or any special dinner. The golden swirls of duchess potatoes look kind of fancy, but you know what? It’s the mix of Southern Italian and Alpine ingredients that really makes these different. Here, mashed potatoes get piped into little nests and baked until the edges turn crispy while the insides stay soft. In this twist, sautéed turnip greens—a staple from Southern Italy—fill the center, adding a bit of earthy flavor and making each bite taste a little different.
Thin slices of speck, the smoked ham from Northern Italy, give the whole thing a smoky kick that works surprisingly well with the tender potatoes and bold greens. Really, the way everything bakes together in the oven not only looks impressive, but also gives you all sorts of textures, from crispy outsides to that creamy middle. So good.
For holiday spreads like Capodanno (New Year’s Eve), these potato nests are the kind of dish that makes the table feel really special. People in Puglia often serve them alongside lentils and cotechino. And, the meal has a nice mix of hearty, moist elements and these savory veggie bites. It's super super tasty. The whole thing is simple at heart—just mashed potatoes, good greens, and some smoked meat—but the way it’s put together really shows off how Italian regions like to mix up their own classic French recipe with local twists.
Using a piping bag turns the potato purée into little works of art, and those crisp edges are hard to beat. This dish doubles as a smart vegetable side dish, but also works great as a starter if you want to impress guests. Seriously, it looks a bit fancier than your average oven-baked potato dish. Plus, since it’s oven-baked, everything gets just the right amount of golden color and flavor. It’s a fun, creative way to use healthy greens and classic comfort food—everyone at the table will be talking about them. With its blend of textures and flavors, this dish is a beautiful example of how Italian cuisine shows both regional traditions and creative flair.
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INGREDIENTS
- Potatoes 1.5 lbs (700 g) - for gnocchi and puree
- Butter 1.75 oz (50 g)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g)
- Egg yolks 3
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- for filling
- Speck 1.75 oz (50 g)
- Provola cheese 3.5 oz (100 g)
- Broccoli rabe 0.9 lb (400 g)
- Garlic 1 clove
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
How to prepare Duchess Potato Nests with Broccoli Rabe
To prepare duchess potato nests with broccoli rabe, boil the potatoes with their skin starting from cold water for about 30 minutes, or until they are softened 1. To check if they are ready, see if a fork or a toothpick sinks in. Once cooked, drain them 2 and peel them while still warm 3.
Pass them through a potato masher 4 and collect the puree in a bowl 5. Salt and pepper 6.
Add butter and Parmigiano 7 and mix with a spoon 8. Once the mixture has cooled, incorporate the egg yolks 9.
Work with the spoon until you get a compact and homogeneous dough 10. Transfer it to a piping bag with a 16 mm fluted nozzle 11. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, squeeze the dough here to form the nests, making a circle and overlapping another circle on it 12.
Each nest should have two layers of dough and a diameter of 3.5 inches 13. Bake in a preheated convection oven at 428°F for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Meanwhile, clean the broccoli rabe, separate the leaves from the central core 14, blanch the leaves for 3 minutes 15.
Add the rabe and let it go for another 3 minutes 16. Cool them in ice water 17, then drain them 18.
Heat a swirl of oil with a clove of garlic in the pan 19, sauté the rabe for about 5 minutes, remove the garlic and set aside 20. Cut the provola into chunks 21.
Halve the speck slices 22. Retrieve the cooked nests from the oven, distribute the provola cubes in the center 23. Then fill above with the broccoli rabe 34.
Finish with the speck slices 25. Bake again for 3 minutes at 392°F in convection mode 26. Serve the duchess potato nests with broccoli rabe hot 27.