Try out a rich gratin featuring potatoes, smoked trout, and cavolo nero, all smothered in a seasoned cream sauce and topped with gruyere. This dish is the ultimate comforting potato main course. For a flavorful twist on crispy spuds, prepare crisp roast potatoes tossed in a aromatic butter emulsion made with white wine.
Smoked Trout and Cavolo Nero Potato Gratin
Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr 15 min
Serves 4
600ml heavy cream
3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
2 sprigs rosemary
3 sprigs thyme sprigs
Zest of 1 fresh lemon
A pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper
25g unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into thin slices
200g black kale, stem removed, leaves cut
750g potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
200g cold trout
3 stalks dill, finely chopped
150g grated gruyere cheese
Add the cream into a pan and mix in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a pinch of nutmeg. Salt generously with salt and white pepper, then set over a low heat and heat for about 10 minutes, to flavor and creamify. Scoop out and remove the garlic and herbs.
Heat the butter in a pan on a medium flame, add the sliced onions and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Add the cavolo nero, salt liberally and fry until the cabbage wilts. Take off the heat.
Place the thinly sliced potatoes in a single layer in the bottom of a deep baking baking dish. Cover with a portion of the onions and cavolo nero, then pour over some of the cream mixture and pepper. Add with slices of smoked trout and a dusting of chopped dill, then sprinkle over some cheese. Repeat the steps until you get to the top of the baking dish, ensuring the top layer is potatoes covered with cream and cheese.
Roast at a moderate oven for an hour and 45 minutes, or until soft all the way through.
Spiced White Wine Roasties
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min, plus cooling
Serves 4
6 starchy potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 stock cube
Flaky salt and black pepper
4 tbsp cooking oil
200ml white wine
½ shallot, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
A pinch of nutmeg
2 spice cloves
Zest of 1 lemon, peeled off in strips
50g butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
2 branches thyme, leaves plucked and chopped
3 branches sage, leaves plucked and finely chopped
Add the quartered potatoes in a saucepan of cool water, mix in the stock cube and season with salt. Heat , then boil the potatoes for seven to 10 minutes, until they easily pierced. Remove water, then place a cloth over the colander and leave to dry for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to a hot oven.
Place the oil into a baking tray and set it in the oven to get extremely hot. Once the potatoes are dried, carefully add them to the hot oil and toss with a tongs, so they're well oiled. Cook for 30 minutes, then give them a shake and return in the oven for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put a large pan on a strong heat, pour in the white wine, then add the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon zest, and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the butter and herbs, then take out and discard the cloves and lemon zest. At this stage, the potatoes are likely cooked.
Mix the potatoes in the wine reduction, salt and serve immediately.
