This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Black Tie Optional
Domino Potato Skewers with Crème Fraîche and Caviar are classic domino potatoes but dressed up for a party. They look like they took all afternoon, but all it takes is a potato, a mandoline, and clarified butter. The thin slices roast until the edges go golden and crispy while the centers stay soft, then get piped with crème fraîche and finished with chives and caviar. And since they’re on a skewer, you can eat one with a drink in your other hand.
Table of Contents
How to Slice and Skewer
Peeling: If you’re saving the scraps, peel the whole potato before you trim it so the scraps are ready to use. If you’re tossing them, skip the peeling. Trim the potato into a brick first, then run a peeler over any skin that’s left. It’s a lot less peeling.
Saving the Scraps: Keep the trimmings in the fridge, covered in water, for up to 24 hours so they don’t brown. You won’t have enough for a full dish, but you can mix them in with other potatoes. They’re perfect for a small batch of my Fried Mashed Potato Balls or Potato Croquettes with Cheese, or you can turn them into a puree or home fries.
The Perfect Slice: You can slice these by hand, but I recommend a mandoline slicer. It gives you thin, even slices, about 1/16 inch, that all cook at the same rate. Keep each potato’s slices together in a stack as you go.
Skewering: I use stainless steel cocktail picks for these. The ones in the photos aren’t sold anymore, but these cocktail picks from Crate & Barrel are almost identical, just with slightly different tops. They come in a set of 6, so you’ll need two sets. I cut each stack in half and put half a potato on each pick. Once they’re on, I like to trim the sides a little more so every stack is a perfect square. That part is only for looks, so skip it if you want. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Why Clarified Butter Is a Must
Yes, regular butter would be easier, but it will burn. Butter has milk solids in it, and at 450°F those solids burn long before the potatoes are done. Clarified butter is butter with the milk solids removed, so it holds up through the whole bake. If you can’t find it at the store, ghee works the same way. It’s also really easy to make.
How to Make Clarified Butter: Melt 1 stick of butter slowly over medium-low heat without stirring. White foam will rise to the top. Skim it off with a spoon as it forms. When the foam stops, pour the clear yellow butter through a fine-mesh strainer and leave the milky solids behind in the pan. One stick makes more than the 1/4 cup you need here.
Crispy and Golden
When to Pull Them Out
Go by color more than the timer. After the first 15 minutes at 450°F, turn the oven down to 425°F and bake another 25 to 35 minutes, flipping them halfway and brushing on the rest of the butter. That range depends on your oven and how big your potatoes are. You want the edges golden and crispy and the centers soft. If they still look pale, give them more time.
Pile It On
Crème Fraîche and Caviar
The amounts in the recipe card are just a starting point, because this part really comes down to taste. I LOVE caviar, and I want heaping spoonfuls on everything I eat. Some people like it but want a little less. Top them however looks good to you. If you want to skip the caviar, crème fraîche or sour cream on its own works too.
Put the caviar on last, right before serving, so the pearls stay firm. The caviar I used for this recipe is Imperia’s Royal Ossetra. They’re my go-to for caviar, and you really can’t go wrong with anything they sell, so feel free to browse around their site.
The Perfect Pairings
Start with a Blue Cheese Dirty Martini and pass these skewers around before dinner. For the main, serve my Slow Roasted Prime Rib with Au Jus and Horseradish with Gruyère Stuffed Duchess Potatoes and a peppery Arugula Fennel Salad. End the night with Espresso Eggnog Panna Cotta under a boozy espresso caramel.
Want to save this recipe?
Save it to your account
or email it to yourself
Key Takeaways
- Clarified Butter Only: Regular butter’s milk solids burn at 450°F before the potatoes are done. Use clarified butter or ghee.
- Slice Right Before Baking: Cut potatoes brown if they sit, and you can’t hold the stacks in water because it gets trapped between the slices.
- Go by Color: Oven and potato size change the timing. Pull them when the edges are golden and crispy and the centers are soft.
- Top at the Last Minute: Pipe the crème fraîche and add the caviar right before serving so the pearls stay firm.
- Leftover Caviar: Once the tin is open, eat it within 48 hours. Never freeze it.
- Caviar Is Optional: These are just as good with only crème fraîche and chives, or sour cream in place of the crème fraîche.
Frequently Asked Questions
Slice the potatoes right before you bake them. Cut potatoes turn brown if they sit, and you can’t store the stacks in water because it gets trapped between the slices. Pipe on the crème fraîche and add the caviar right before serving.
Press the lid back on tight, keep it in the coldest part of your fridge, and eat it within 48 hours of opening. Never freeze it.
No. Regular butter has milk solids that burn at 450°F before the potatoes are done. Use ghee if you can’t find clarified butter, or make your own with the method above.
Equipment
- vegetable peeler
- paper towels
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 5 large russet potatoes
- 1/4 cup clarified butter, melted, divided
- 1 pinch seasoned salt
Toppings
- crème fraîche
- chives, finely chopped
- caviar
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape the Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and trim each into a rectangular block. Reserve the trimmings for another use.5 large russet potatoes
- Slice: Slice each block 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick on a mandoline, keeping the slices from each potato together in a stack. Pat each stack dry with paper towels.
- Skewer: Divide each stack in half and thread each half onto a cocktail pick, keeping the slices aligned, for a total of 10. Trim the sides of each stack into an even square, if desired.
- Season: Arrange the skewers on the prepared baking sheet. Brush all sides with clarified butter, reserving a small amount, and sprinkle with seasoned salt.1/4 cup clarified butter, 1 pinch seasoned salt
- Bake: Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 425°F (220°C) and bake 25 to 35 minutes more, flipping halfway through and brushing with the reserved butter, until the edges are golden and the centers are tender.
- Finish: Transfer the crème fraîche to a piping bag. Pipe crème fraîche over each skewer, then top with chives and caviar. Serve.crème fraîche, chives, caviar
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
