Creamy Smoked Salmon, Leek & Fingerling Potato Chowder
This luscious soup is sure to be a new fall favorite.
Ingredients:
8 ounces smoked salmon
2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1 bay leaf
4 cups fingerling potatoes, washed and diced
4 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
Small bunch fresh chives, snipped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the leeks and bay leaf. Cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the leek is soft, then stir in the potatoes and mix until all the vegetables are coated in the butter.
2. Pour over the stock and cream and bring to the simmer, then gently bubble for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add two-thirds of the smoked salmon, stir through and season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup in deep bowls with the remaining smoked salmon and snipped chives on the top.
Potato-Leek Galette
A fantastic Thanksgiving appetizer or side!
Ingredients:
F&L galette dough
¾ pound fingerling potatoes, or other waxy potato of your choice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 leeks, white and pale green part only, halved lengthwise
¼ cup water
¾ cup crème fraîche
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ cup Comté or Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated
2 ounces thinly-sliced pancetta
Method:
1. Slice potatoes almost paper thin and soak in a bowl of well-salted warm water at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight.
2. Rinse leeks well. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook leeks, cut sides down, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Turn leeks over and add water, season with salt and pepper then gently simmer, covered, just until leeks are tender, about 15 minutes. Cool.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. Drain potatoes and squeeze in handfuls, squeezing out water. Toss with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 x 16 inches. Dough should be about â…›-inch thick. Slide onto a cookie sheet. Chill briefly if very soft.
5. Spread dough with crème fraîche leaving a 2-inch border all around. Season with salt and pepper and scatter with half of cheese then potatoes, leeks, pancetta, and remaining cheese. Fold border up and over and brush with butter or olive oil. Bake until tart is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
Fingerling Potato ‘Homefries’
These creamy, rustic potatoes are flecked with fresh parsley and red pepper flakes for heat.
Ingredients:
1 pound baby or fingerling potatoes, such as this week’s German Butterball potatoes
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
Olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Method:
1. Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water and season the water abundantly with salt. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until a fork slides in and out of them easily. Drain potatoes and cool.
2. Coat a large sauté pan generously with olive oil. Add the onions, season with salt and bring the pan to a medium high heat. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions are soft and wilted but do not have any color.
3. Using the heel of your hand, smash the boiled potatoes to flatten and to break apart. Add to the pan, toss with onions and then flatten them against the bottom of the pan so they begin to form a crust. Repeat this process a few times to cover the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and toss with the chopped parsley.
Potato Mash with Leek Confit
This easy, casserole-style dish is rich with buttery leeks and Russet potatoes.
Ingredients:
For confit:
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only
1 tablespoons butter
â…› cup water
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3-4 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup chicken broth, or enough to cover potatoes in a sauce pan
¼ cup cream
3 tablespoons butter
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To prepare confit, wash leeks and quarter them lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into quarter-inch pieces. In a medium sauce pan with a lid, melt butter, then add leeks, water, and salt and cook covered on medium low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently. When soft, remove the lid and cook a few more minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
2. Boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until fork tender. Drain, reserving about ¼ cup of the broth. Mash the potatoes with a ricer or in a stand mixer.
3. Preheat oven to 350°. Warm the cream, broth and butter and mix into the potatoes. Add more cream if mixture seems dry. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the leek confit and salt to taste, and spread the mixture into a buttered shallow 9- by 11-inch baking dish. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve warm. (The casserole can be made the night before and refrigerated before being finished in oven.)
Mashed Potatoes with Duxelles
These decadent potatoes are mixed with mushroom duxelles for a satisfying finishing touch.
Ingredients:
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, washed and scrubbed
½-¾ cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
¾ cup F&L mushroom duxelles
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and bring the water back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn’t boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.
3. As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher or large heavy-duty fork until thoroughly mashed. Stir in the hot milk mixture with a whisk or rubber spatula. Add enough crème fraîche or sour cream to make the potatoes soft and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix in the duxelles. Serve immediately, or to keep the potatoes warm, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for up to 30 minutes.
Potato Salad with Apples & Walnuts
This crisp potato salad will be especially beautiful with this week’s Magic Myrna fingerling potatoes.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
6 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 cup chopped apple
4 stalks celery
½ cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts
½ cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place the potatoes in a large, wide pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, vinegar, mustard, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. Cut the potatoes in half (or quarter if large). Add the potatoes to the dressing and gently toss to coat. Fold in the apples, celery, walnuts, and parsley.
Smoked Salmon & Baby Leek Frittata
Paired with a crisp salad, this stunningly-simple dish is fantastic for breakfast, brunch or lunch!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 baby leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
8 large eggs
3 tablespoons minced dill
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked
Pinch each of sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the broiler. Melt the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring often, until tender, about 4 minutes.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, herbs, salt, pepper, goat cheese and salmon. Pour the mixture over the leeks and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and cook until the edges are set but the center is still runny, about 4 minutes. Place the pan under the preheated broiler and cook until the frittata is puffed up and golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Grilled Fingerling Potatoes
Buttery fingerlings are excellent on the grill—just add fresh dill for a unique finishing touch!
Ingredients:
3 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
4 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ cup dill, chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Prepare a grill for medium heat. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper.
2. Set out 4 sheets heavy-duty foil. Oil foil; divide potatoes among sheets, arranging them cut side down in a single layer on the short half of each sheet. Fold other half of each sheet over potatoes and crimp edges to seal.
3. Grill packets, crimped sides up, covered, rotating halfway through, until potatoes are tender when pierced through foil, 20 minutes. Open packets; if potatoes aren’t brown on cut sides, cook longer.
4. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Toss with butter and dill. Arrange on a platter; sprinkle with coarse sea salt if you like.
Creamy Scalloped Potatoes with Chive Blossoms
This beautiful dish is sure to be a new spring favorite!
Ingredients:
3 pounds fingerling or other small new potato
2 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces soft mild goat cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Fresh flowering chives, snipped with scissors, for garnish
Method:
1, Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Peel potatoes and cut into â…›-inch-thick slices with a manual slicer or sharp thin knife. Keep slices in a large bowl of cold water while making sauce.
3. Cook shallots in butter in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer to a blender and purée with milk, cream, cheese, kosher salt to taste, and pepper.
4. Drain potatoes in a large colander and pat dry. Arrange in a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish in 3 layers, pouring some of sauce over each layer (use all of sauce) and putting best potato slices on top layer. Bake, covered with foil, in lower third of oven. Remove foil after 45 minutes and continue to bake until potatoes are tender, 30 to 45 minutes more. If desired, briefly broil potatoes under preheated broiler until top is golden.