Episode 255 - Potato Casserole

Описание: One night I was staring at some medium-sized fingerling potatoes that were going to go with our dinner. I didn’t want to do one of my usual preparations; I wanted to do something more interesting. I foraged around to see what we had and came up with this. Pretty simple, tasty and not too long to make.

You will need:
• 1/2 pound small potatoes, cut into “coins” about 1/4-inch thick
• 1 tblsp butter
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1/4 cup roquefort
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tblsp cognac
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Make a cheese sauce by heating up a small pan medium-high and melting the butter. Add the shallot, roquefort, and thyme. Once the cheese is melted and the shallot a little soft, add the cream. Bring back to a simmer and add the cognac and a few grinds of black pepper.

While you are doing this you should have time to toss the potatoes in olive oil with salt and pepper. Put the potatoes in a casserole dish and pour on the cheese sauce. It should be just enough to barely cover the potatoes. Cover and put in the oven (on a baking pan with parchment) until completely cooked. Remove the cover and put back in for about five minutes; until the top of the potatoes are slightly brown. Let it cool a few minutes and then serve as a side next to your main dish.

It comes out very buttery and creamy – just a really nice texture. The cheese does not overpower everything else since I resisted the temptation to put too much in. Cognac plays perfectly with the cheese to add some complexity to the sauce, as does the thyme. These flavors were really made for each other and elevated a simple potato dish to something special, in only 45 minutes all-in.