Garlic Potato Purée With Shiitake Ragoût And Potato Crisps Recipes

GARLIC AND ROSEMARY POTATO PUREE

Steps:

• Infuse cream Bring cream and rosemary to a simmer in a small pot, then remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve (to remove the herbs as well as any skin that might have formed) and clean pot, then return cream to pot. Add butter and heat over medium until melted, stirring to combine. Cover and keep warm (either over lowest setting on the stove or in a warm spot).
• Meanwhile, boil potatoes Peel and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch pieces, then place in a medium stockpot and cover with water. Add the garlic and a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook until potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Drain well, then return to pot and set over low heat, stirring until the potatoes are thoroughly dry.
• Puree While potatoes are still hot, pass through a ricer or a food mill fitted with the fine disk. Stir in cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. If a finer texture is desired, pass puree through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much puree as possible. Reheat over medium heat with a little more cream (or water), if necessary, before serving.
• Variations
• For a rustic puree, pass the potatoes through the large disk of a food mill, and enrich with 1/4 cup each of olive oil and butter (omit cream and rosemary). Finish by stirring in chopped flat-leaf parsley and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
• For mashed potatoes, crush the potatoes with a potato masher; add just enough cream and butter to achieve the desired consistency, mashing to combine. Season with salt and white pepper.

LIMA BEAN, POTATO, AND GARLIC PURéE WITH POTATO CRISPS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan combine potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces, and garlic with enough water to cover by 1 inch and simmer, covered, 8 minutes. Add lima beans and simmer 8 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender.
• Reserve about 3/4 cup cooking liquid. Drain mixture in colander and force through a food mill fitted with a medium disk into a bowl. Stir in butter, salt and pepper to taste, and enough reserved liquid to reach desired consistency. Purée, covered and chilled, 1 day.
• Serve purée topped with potato crisps.

GARLIC POTATO PURéE WITH SHIITAKE RAGOûT AND POTATO CRISPS

Steps:

• Brush a baking sheet well with some of the oil. In a food processor fitted with the 2-millimeter slicing disk or with a hand-held slicing device slice thin the potato on the diagonal (cut one end of the potato on the diagonal to facilitate this) and arrange the slices immediately in one layer on the sheet. Brush the slices with the remaining oil, sprinkle them with salt to taste, and bake them in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the crisps while they are still warm with a metal spatula to a rack and let them cool. The crisps may be made several days in advance and kept in a plastic bag at room temperature.
• Peel the potatoes, quarter them lengthwise, and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Reserving 3 of the garlic cloves for the ragout, in a steamer set over boiling water steam the remaining garlic cloves with the potatoes, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Force the steamed garlic and the potatoes through a ricer or food mill fitted with the medium disk into a large bowl, stir in the butter, the milk, and salt and pepper to taste, and keep the purée warm, covered. The purée may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.
• In a large heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it saute the mushrooms with the reserved garlic cloves, minced, and salt and pepper to taste for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are softened and any liquid they give off is evaporated. Add the Sherry and boil the mixture until almost all the liquid is evaporated. Add the broth and the soy sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir the cornstarch mixture, stir it into the sauce, and simmer the ragout, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley. The ragout may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.
• Divide the purée among 8 heated small plates, mounding it, arrange 3 crisps decoratively in each mound, and spoon the ragout over and around the purée.