Potatoes à la Robuchon
Of all the haute cuisine in legendary chef Joël Robuchon’s repertoire, he was best known for these super-silky potatoes.
Ingredients:
2½ pounds fingerling potatoes, all of a similar size
1 pound unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
¼ cup milk
Sea salt, to taste
Method:
1. Place unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender. Drain and peel. Transfer to a bowl and let potatoes cool slightly.
2. Turn potatoes through a food mill on the finest setting, back into the cooking pot. Heat pot over medium heat stirring until heated through and steam begins to come off the bottom of the pot. Add butter in 5 additions, allowing each addition of butter to be almost melted before adding the next until it all has been incorporated.
3. Stir in warm milk until combined. Using a whisk, vigorously stir potatoes until fluffy. Season with salt. Transfer to a serving dish and smooth the top of the potatoes with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.
Smashed Sunchokes with Thyme Butter
Enriched with butter and thyme and the perfect side dish for any spring meal.
Enriched with butter and thyme and the perfect side dish for any winter spread.
Ingredients:
1 pound sunchokes, rinsed and trimmed of any dark spots
6-8 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil for frying
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Large pinch freshly picked thyme leaves
Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for serving
Method:
1. In a medium saucepan, cover the sunchokes with cold water. Season generously with salt (the water should taste nicely salted, as if you were seasoning soup). Set over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until a paring knife inserted into a sunchoke meets little resistance, about 10 minutes; be careful not to overcook.
2. Drain sunchokes using a fine-mesh strainer or colander. When cool enough to handle, place sunchokes on a work surface or cutting board. Working 1 sunchoke at a time, use the bottom of a heavy skillet to press firmly on each sunchoke until it is flattened but still in one piece; take care not to press so hard that the sunchokes break apart.
3. In a large cast iron or other heavy bottomed skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add sunchokes in a single layer and cook without moving until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add more oil, if needed. Flip sunchokes, then add butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add half of the thyme to the melted butter and continue to cook, spooning butter over sunchokes, until browned on the second side, about 3 minutes longer.
4. Transfer sunchokes to a serving plate and spoon the thyme butter on top. Garnish with remaining freshly picked thyme leaves and sprinkle with flaky salt. Serve immediately.
Pink Peppercorn Dressing
This bright, zippy dressing from our friend chef Nicco Muratore is lovely tossed with winter chicories.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, ground
4 sprigs parsley, stems removed and lightly chopped
1 garlic clove
1 orange, zested
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 teaspoons Dijon or whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tangerine vinegar*
1 cup olive oil
Method:
1. Using an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil to create a thickened dressing, blend on medium speed once combined, and taste for salt and acid! The dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.
*You can substitute apple cider vinegar, Champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar, as needed.
Braised Fingerling Potatoes
Buttered and simmered in water, these rich, flavorful potatoes will wow.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
2 cups water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Method:
1. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit just inside a 12-inch heavy skillet and butter one side.
2. Slice potatoes ⅛-inch thick with the slicing blade on a grater or with a mandoline. Arrange in layers in skillet. Add water, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Dot top with the butter.
3. Cover potatoes with parchment, buttered side down, and briskly simmer until tender and most of liquid has evaporated, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Sunflower Shoot Salad with Fennel, Radishes & Hazelnuts
This stellar salad from Food & Wine is beautifully balanced with peppery greens and radishes and sunflower shoots.
Ingredients:
½ cup hazelnuts
1½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon minced shallot
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups peppery greens, like arugula or microgreens
2 cups sunflower shoots
2-3 radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, cored and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast until they are fragrant and the skins blister, about 14 minutes. Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool slightly, then vigorously rub the nuts together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the Champagne vinegar with the Dijon mustard, honey and minced shallot. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until blended. Season the vinaigrette with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the arugula, sunflower shoots, radishes, fennel and chopped hazelnuts and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Campanelle with Porcini Cream Sauce & Winter Herbs
Serve this balsamic-kissed pasta main with some crusty Gruyère cheese bread and a crisp salad; dinner is done!
Ingredients:
12 ounces Wildly Beloved Campanelle pasta
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup hot water (for rehydrating mushrooms)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino
1 tbsp Ritrovo aged balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Fresh herbs from your box (thyme, parsley, or sage), chopped
Farm-fresh egg, optional, for topping
Method:
1. Place the dried porcini in 1 cup hot water for 20–30 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid, and chop roughly. Strain liquid through a fine sieve and set aside.
2. Boil Campanelle in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water and drain.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and shallot until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chopped porcini and cook another 2–3 minutes. Stir in cream, ½ cup reserved mushroom liquid, and balsamic vinegar. Simmer gently until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss cooked Campanelle with the sauce, adding pasta water a splash at a time to reach your desired consistency. Stir in fresh herbs and top with grated cheese if using. Optionally, fry or poach a farm-fresh egg and place on top for a luxurious touch.
Persimmon Salad with Greens & Goat Cheese
This salad is a lovely balance of sweet, tart, and creamy, with a pop of crunch from the nuts.
Ingredients:
4 ripe persimmons, thinly sliced (leave skin on)
5 cups arugula, spinach, radicchio or any combination of mixed greens
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese
¼ cup toasted pecans or walnuts
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Set aside.
2. Place the greens on a large serving platter or bowl. Layer the persimmon slices evenly over the greens. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds, crumbled goat cheese, toasted pecans, and red onion slices on top.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss lightly to combine or leave as is for a beautiful presentation.
Pepper, Fennel & Onion Relish
Jimmy Nardello peppers lends themselves perfectly to this classic trio—an excellent condiment-style topping for sandwiches, scrambled eggs or even crostini!
Ingredients:
4 Jimmy Nardello peppers, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 red onion, or 2-3 Tropea onions, or a combination of the two, peeled and chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Toss together all ingredients with ½ teaspoon salt in a large shallow baking pan. Broil 4 inches from heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Turn over and stir, then broil 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve sprinkled with fennel fronds.
Mushroom & Asparagus Eggs Benedict
Served over toasted bread, this eggs Benedict is truly stunning.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ½ teaspoon thyme, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 ounces wild mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size
- ¼ cup white wine, or broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 slices multigrain bread, lightly toasted
- 12 spears asparagus, blanched
- 4 eggs
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the butter and allow it to melt, then toss in the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the wine or broth, deglaze the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes and reduce the heat to low.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Swirl the water in the pot. Crack an egg into a bowl and gently pour the egg from the bowl into the water. Repeat with another egg. Let the eggs cook until the whites are set but the yolks are not, about 2-3 minutes then fish them out. Repeat with remaining two eggs.
- To serve, place the toast on plates, top with the asparagus, poached eggs and creamy mushroom sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.