Recipe – Pommes Salardaise

Yesterday I posted one half of this great combination I like so much, and today it is only normal to post the second half, a wonderfully divine potato recipe. I have always been a potato lover, and this brings my love of them to another level. It is not an everyday dish as it involves using truffles and truffle oil, but it is nice to indulge ourselves once in a while. I normally use the cheaper Italian black truffles in jars and Italian truffle oil, a combination of olive oil and truffle flavor. I have not found a ready supply of the around here, and I am still looking around. The Padrino used to bring us some when he visited in the old days, but lately he has been forgetful about this <wink, wink>… The recipe is simple to make and yields wonderful results. If you really want to be fancy you can carve your potatoes in cylinders around 1.5-2" in diameter before slicing them to get uniform slices, but I normally do not go to this trouble as I prefer my potatoes with the skin on. Enjoy them with a nice juicy piece of bavette…

Ingredients

2 pounds medium potatoes
2 medium Italian black truffles
3 tbs Italian truffle oil
1/4 pound clarified butter
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation

1. With a mandoline or a very sharp knife cut potatoes into thin slices.
2. In a large pot of boiling water add the potato slices and blanch for 3-4 minutes.
3. Place the potato slices in cold water to stop the cooking, and then pat dry.
4. Cut the truffles into very thin slices or shavings.
4. Butter a 10" round cake mould and place a layer of the potato slice in it, carefully overlapping them slightly.
5. Pour a bit of the melted butter on the potatoes, add a few truffle slices, pour a bit of truffle oil and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Repeat the layering process until you use up all the potatoes.
7. Press down firmly on the potatoes so that they stick together well.
8. Place in a preheated 400F oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a nice brown crust develops.
9. Turn the pie mold over a serving dish and cut into portions like a pie.

Lucito