Books for Cooks

International Year of the Potato

By Holly Rowland

CULINARY CONCEPTS: 100 Recipes and Tips for the Home Chef

by Judith Baigent

Gibbs Smith/Raincoast Book $38.95

Culinary Concepts is an extraordinary cooking school attended by thousands every year. Founded by the author 13 years ago, its secret recipes with tips and techniques to make cooking fun and efficient are at your finger tips as you turn the pages of this beautiful new cookbook. Simple, delicious dishes range from appetizers, soups and salads to starches, meats and desserts, all favourite recipes chosen by the students who attend the cooking school. How does Grilled Fish Tacos with Tropical Fruit Salsa or Filo-Wrapped Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce appeal to your taste buds? Or how about Chocolate Mousse in Orange Shells or Chocolate Chile Ice Cream? The recipes are enough to make your taste buds do cart wheels! But, because the United Nations has declared 2008 “the International Year of the Potato “I am going to concentrate on just that, potatoes.”

Potatoes Anna - A classic French dish, very versatile and satisfying
3 pounds baking potatoes 2 teaspoons kosher salt (if using salted butter, use 1 ˝ teaspoons kosher salt) ˝ teaspoons white pepper* * I always use black pepper		1/4cup unsalted butter 4 tablespoons chopped parsley, saving 1 tablespoon for garnish 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary or mint may be substituted
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 2. Peel potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick or less on a mandolin or food processor slicing blade. Dry well on paper towels. Combine salt and pepper in small bowl. 3. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick pan with 2-inch sides, melt the butter over medium heat. Swirl the butter around pan to coat and then pour the rest into a bowl or measuring cup. Arrange potatoes in a decorative, circular pattern overlapping the slices, completely covering the bottom of the pan. Brush with some of the butter. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and sprinkle with a little of the parsley. Arrange the rest of the potatoes (patted dry on paper towels) in non-composed layers. Brushed with butter, sprinkled with salt & pepper and parsley until you use all the potatoes. Drizzle with any remaining butter, top with a flat plate and press down with your hand to press potatoes together. Remove the plate and cover the potatoes.* * I use my iron fry pan ** I use foil 4. On top of the stove, cook the potatoes until the bottom layer has browned lightly 5. Place the potatoes in the middle of the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Take the cover off and cook for 20 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through. 6. Loosen the edges of the potatoes with a spatula. Pace a large serving platter over the top of the pan and invert the potatoes onto the platter. Sprinkle the remaining parsley and slice into wedges to serve. Serves 8

Parmesan-Crusted Potatoes - May be made earlier in the day

3 cloves roasted garlic +1 teaspoon olive oil
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
Ľ cup cold milk

Ľ cup unsalted butter, softened, salt & white pepper*
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted ˝ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* I always use black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Wrap the garlic and olive oil in a small piece of foil or put into garlic roaster. Bake for 20 minutes until soft and golden brown.
3. Butter an 8x11-inch baking dish. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add the teaspoon of salt, and then simmer until tender. About 15 minutes. Drain ( into colander) and return the potatoes to the saucepan and shake over high heat for 1 minute to dry. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl or mash thoroughly with a potato masher. Beat in the milk. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and mash with the softened butter. Add to the potatoes. Taste and season with salt & pepper.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the cream to soft peaks. Fold the cream into the potatoes. Scrape the potatoes into the prepared baking dish, drizzle with the melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. * Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes. Preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 minutes until browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

* May be refrigerated at this time and baked later in the day.

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