Episode 156: Potatoes

Twice Baked Fancy Potatoes
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes w/ Leek & Blue Cheese
Sweet & Mashed Potato Napoleons au Gratin
Ginger Sweet Potato Pie

TWICE BAKED FANCY POTATOES

2 Large russet potatoes, cleaned with skin on
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened - (75ml)
¼ cup milk - (250ml)

FLAVOUR OPTION ONE
1 tablespoon Truffle Oil - (15ml)
1/3 cup chopped chives - (75ml)
1 tbsp pancetta, diced - (30ml)

FLAVOUR OPTION TWO
1 tablespoon Saffron - (15ml)
¼ cup cooked peas - (250ml)
1 tbsp pancetta, diced - (30ml)

Salt and pepper - to taste
You will need a ricer for the potatoes

Preparation time is 15 minutes, cooking time 1.5 hrs
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

With a fork prick potatoes, and then place on a baking sheet to be baked in middle of the oven for 1 hour, or until tender.

When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise and scoop out flesh, making sure to leave ¼ inch shells.

Place potato shells onto a baking sheet and brush insides with butter and season the shells with salt & pepper. Bake in the oven for approximately 20min or until golden brown

Meanwhile, put the flesh the potatoes into a bowl. Scoop the flesh out of the bowl and put it through a ricer. Stir in your unsalted butter and mix until is has completely dissolved.

Over a medium heat, add milk to a saucepan. If using saffron as a flavouring tool, add it here. Do not bring your milk to a boil! Allow it to simmer on low heat until warmed through.

Add your warm milk to your riced potatoes and season with salt & pepper. If you have flavoured with saffron, add some cooked green peas. If you choose to flavour with truffle oil and chives instead, add them here.

Remove your golden brown potato shells and fill them with your mashed potato mixture. Place them back on the baking sheet and cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet cook diced pancetta until crispy. Sprinkle on top of potatoes.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 2
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SCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES WITH LEEK & BLUE CHEESE

3 large sweet potatoes (2pds) cut to 1/8 inch thick rounds
3 ½ cups of leeks - whites only - sliced 1/8 inch thick (875ml)
½ cup (1 stick or ¼ pound) unsalted butter, will make approx. ¼ cup of clarified butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 ½ cups Danish Blue cheese, crumbled - (975ml)
1 cup milk - (250ml)
2 tablespoon freshly ground nutmeg - (30ml)

Preparation time is 15 hour, cooking time 1 hour
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Generously butter a large rectangular shallow baking dish (11 x 7 x 2)

Peel potatoes and slice into 1/8 inch thick rounds using the mandolin. Submerge in water to halt discolouration and set aside.

For the leeks, cut off the green tops on a diagonal and discard the tops Cut the white part of the leeks in 1/8inch thick diagonally slices. Wash the leeks in a bowl of cold water, and then gently shake to remove excess water and then place in colander to dry. Repeat several times to remove any dirt.

For the clarified butter, place the butter into small saucepan. Heat over a low flame until foam rises to the top. Drain the butter through a cheesecloth over bowl and discard the impurities.

Drain potatoes slices and pat dry with a towel.

Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, cover with a layer, about half of the leeks. Brush lightly with the clarified butter and sprinkle with the freshly grated nutmeg. Crumble 2 teaspoons of blue cheese on top. Add another layer of potatoes, leek, butter, nutmeg, cheese. Add one more layer of potato slices and top with cheese.

Pour the milk over top and finish with more generous sprinkles of clarified butter. Take the scalloped potatoes to the oven to cook for at least 1 ¼ hour or until the cheese on top his golden brown.

Approximately 4 servings
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SWEET AND MASHED POTATO NAPOLEONS AU GRATIN

3 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes - (1500grams)
2 large sweet potatoes
½ cup milk - (125ml)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves
½ cup fresh parsley leaves - (125ml)
3 cups fresh bread crumbs - (750ml)
½ cup Parmesan cheese - (125ml)
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 cup Kalmata olives - (250ml)

Preparation time is 15 hour, cooking time 1hour

You will need a napoleon tube for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 400F

In a large kettle cover yellow-fleshed potatoes, peels on, with cold salted water, bring to a simmer until potatoes become tender.

Using a knife or a mandolin, slice sweet potatoes to ¼ inch thick slices. Use your napoleon tub like a cookie cutter and press into a round of sweet potato. This will create the perfect size round potato. Repeat until all sweet potatoes are done. You will need enough rounds for 4 napoleons.

Sprinkle sweet potato rounds with oil and season with salt and pepper. Rub it in and take them to the oven and roast until tender.

Remove pits from Kalmata olives and slice thinly. Finely dice red and yellow pepper to resemble confetti.

Once yellow-fleshed potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and place into a bowl to mash.

In a small saucepan combine milk and 6 tbsp of butter, simmer until butter is completely melted.

Meanwhile place some minced garlic with butter into a hot skillet and sauté for a few seconds to get fragrant. Add some bread crumbs and cook until golden, and let cool.

When your milk and butter have melted together, pour it into your mashed potatoes and mash coarsely. One for olive napoleons and the other for pepper confetti napoleons.

Place your four napoleons on a baking sheet lined in parchment. The parchment will ensure that the napoleons are easy to remove when they are done.

Place a roasted round sweet potato on the bottom of each napoleon. Scoop some mashed potatoes on top of each round and flatten with a knife or the back of a spoon. In two napoleons sprinkle a layer of black olives. In the other two place a layer of confetti peppers. Place another sweet round on top on that. Then place another layer of mashed - add your olives or peppers, another sweet potato and a layer of mashed one more time.

Shave some fresh parmesan cheese into your bread mixture. Toss in some chopped parsley for garnish and season with salt and pepper.

Place the cheese bread mixture on top of napoleons. Bake your potato towers in the oven until it cooked through and golden on top, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Transfer to a cool surface and remove the casing.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4
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GINGER SWEET POTATO PIE

For filling
4 medium sweet potatoes - (abot 2 lbs or 1000grams)
¾ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup crystallized ginger

Pie weights or raw rice for weighting shell
Pastry dough - buy the approx. 9inch pie or make your own favourite.

For meringue
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
5 large egg whites


Preparation time is 30 min, cooking time 2 hours
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bake your pie shell and let it cool.

Puncture the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and place on your baking sheet. Bake them in the middle of the oven for 1 ¼ hrs or until very soft.

Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, halve them and scoop out 2 cups reserving the rest for later. Place the 2 cups of potato in your food processor and purée.

Add milk, cream, sugar, eggs and salt until well mixed. Transfer the mix into a bowl. Add some freshly grated nutmeg, your ground cloves and cinnamon. Dice your crystallized ginger and add it to the mix. Pour mix into the pre-baked pie shell. Bake in middle oven for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl stir together sugar and cinnamon for the meringue. Position the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add egg whites and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and with an electric hand blender beat whites until they hold stiff glossy peaks.

Heap the cinnamon meringue in the centre of your pie and spread it almost to the edge of the pie. Bake in oven for about 12-15min, or until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!
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Recipe compliments of Chef Ned Bell