Servings: 6
Ease of Preparation: Medium
This recipe is part of the One BIG Recipe: Vegetarian Dinner
SALT BAKED POTATOES, CHIVE OIL, AND FRIED CAPERS
Ingredients:
Chive Oil:
- 3 bunches chives
- 1 ½ cup (350 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon (7.5 ml) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- 1 ice cube
Fried Capers:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- ½ cup (120 ml) well drained capers
Salt Baked Potatoes:
- 6 medium red-skinned potatoes
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) peppercorns
- 9 eggs
- 9 cups (2.1 L) coarse salt
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
Special Equipment:
- 2 – 3 layers of Cheese cloth
- Blender
- Pastry brush
Method:
For the Chive Oil:
Roughly chop chives, add to blender or small food processor.
Add vegetable oil, white pepper, salt and 1 ice cube.
Blend until very smooth, 1 minute.
Set up a strainer over a bowl, line the strainer with 2-3 layers cheesecloth.
Pour the oil through the lined strainer, leave to continue straining until needed for plating.
For the Caper Garnish:
Add vegetable oil to a heavy pan to a depth of 2 inches (5 cm), set over medium-high heat and bring to 375 F (190 C).
When oil is hot, add well drained capers and fry for 20-30 seconds (or more, depending on oil heat), until crisp.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.
Reserve at room temperature until needed.
For the Salt-Baked Potatoes:
Wash medium red-skinned potatoes.
Roughly crush peppercorns in a mortar and pestle.
Separate eggs: crack an egg in half while holding it over a small container to catch the white, and, at the same time, using the half-shell to catch the yolk. Next, transfer the yolk back and forth from half-shell to half-shell, allowing the white to drain off completely into the container. When the yolk is clear of the egg white, use the half-shell to transfer it to a separate container.
Repeat for all 9 eggs, reserve whites for the salt dough and the reserve the yolks for another use or discard.
Make a salt dough for the potatoes: Combine coarse salt, egg whites, and the crushed peppercorns. Strip and add the leaves from 3 sprigs of rosemary. Mix all quite well, adding more salt if needed to make a thick paste.
Layer about 1/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish.
Press the potatoes into the salt mixture, then cover with remaining salt mixture, pressing around the potatoes to enclose them completely.
Transfer to the oven and set a timer for 1 hour.
When ready, remove the Potatoes from the oven, leave to rest at room temperature for plating,
To Serve:
Lay out 6 plates with beds of fried capers.
Present the baking dish of Salt Crusted Potatoes table-side—crack the salt-crust shell with the back of a knife, remove the individual potatoes, dusting off excess salt with a dry pastry brush.
Slice a flat from the end of each potato, then set each, standing up, over a bed of capers.
Pour over the Chive Oil.
Serve immediately.
You might also like these recipes
