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salty (-sweet) potato far {ffwd}
This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was filled with conflict and confusion. Starting with the title. I initially thought it was a sweet potato side. Turns out, this Breton version of potato pudding is both salty and sweet, the sweet component contributed by prunes. The potatoes are just regular white potatoes, not sweet potatoes.
Anyone who knows how things roll in my kitchen knows that prunes weren’t going to go over with my dear husband. I wasn’t so sure how they would go over with me either. Prunes with potatoes and bacon does sound a little weird. I went for His and Hers. Half with prunes (Hers) and half without (His).
His and Hers Potato Fars
This was relatively easy to put together. You start by crisping some bacon lardons. Then, you make a simple custardy batter, grate some potatoes, and stir them into the batter. Finally, you add bacon and chopped prunes. Because I’d heard from some of the other Doristas that the final dish was lacking something, I stirred a quarter pound of grated Emmenthaler cheese into the batter.
I loved how the potato pudding puffed up and crisped on the outside. When I divided the potato far into two smaller dishes, I didn’t adjust the cooking time. It might have been a little too much, though it still tasted good.
Because I wasn’t sure how this would go over, I was hesitant to serve it as the main course. Instead, I roasted chicken thighs and served the potato far as a side dish.
The prunes weren’t terrible, but to me, they were a little jarring with the other flavors. I would have preferred more bacon and cheese and no prunes. Howard liked his pruneless version. However, I don’t think potato far, sweet, salty, or otherwise, will be making a repeat appearance chez moi. It just wasn’t interesting enough.
The opinions of this one are bound to be feisty. Check them out by following the links here. If you’re curious and want to try it, you can find the recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Thanksgiving falls between now and the next French Friday, so to my Dorista friends, I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope your table is laden with a delicious feast and that the seats are filled with the ones you love. Enjoy the holiday!
French Fridays with Dorie: Broth-Braised Potatoes
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is, in Dorie Greenspan’s own words, an intriguing twist on a dependable dish. The dish? Broth-Braised Potatoes, in other words, a twist on boiled potatoes.
First, broth is simmered with some flavor boosters: lemon zest, garlic, bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme. I used some homemade turkey broth from the freezer, and, miraculously, sprigs of thyme I found in my herb garden, sheltered under some leaves. (The rosemary was finally killed by cold weather.) The potatoes were added to the pot, and simmered until tender, about 20 minutes for me.
I had half a dozen small, but not baby, red potatoes, so I made half a recipe. To emulate the look of fingerling potatoes, I cut the potatoes into quarters lengthwise before cooking them. Then, because the liquid didn’t cover all the potatoes, I wasn’t sure that I should have halved the broth after all. However, the recipe is called braised, not boiled potatoes, and at all worked out in the end.
Simple in execution, surprisingly interesting in flavor, I can see these potatoes taking a place in the “simple side dish” repertoire at my house as an alternative to steamed potatoes drizzled with olive oil.
To see what the other FFwD bloggers did with their potatoes, check out their links here. The recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Happy French Friday!
A Plateful of Happiness 