For the Love of Potatoes
By Executive Chef Russell Skall
Potatoes. What other food is so versatile? They can be baked, mashed, fried, roasted, scalloped, turned into soups, salads, pancakes, pastas, dumplings and chips. Or used to make one of the most popular liquors, vodka. The humble potato has become one of the world’s major foodstuffs.
Spanish explorers brought the potato to Europe from the New World, but it didn’t really catch on until the 1800s. By 1845, potatoes occupied a full one-third of all farmland in Ireland and was the country’s most important crop.
But that same year, 1845, the famous Irish potato famine nearly wiped out Ireland’s potato crop. Over the next decade, hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrated to America and brought with them their love of potatoes, including their hearty potato soup. Other immigrants brought their own potato dishes. German immigrants brought potato salad. The French contributed scalloped (au gratin) potatoes; the Brits their love of “chips.” Italians introduced us to silky potato gnocchi. And as America developed its world-class beef industry, potatoes came to be the favored side dish for that quintessential American entrée, steak.
I thought I’d share with you my inspiration — and my personal recipe — for what has become the most popular side dish at Fleming’s, our Fleming’s Potatoes.
I started with a traditional dish called Dauphinoise potatoes. In this French dish potatoes are sliced very thin and layered in a pan with onions, garlic, cheese, spices and cream, then baked to a golden brown. For Fleming’s, I wanted to update the recipe for contemporary tastes so I used leeks for their ultimate onion essence, Wisconsin aged cheddar and jack cheese for a smoother flavor, and then jalapeños to add just a hint of heat. The small pieces of jalapeño really add to the overall taste profile. I continued to play with the recipe for two years to achieve the current flavor and look of the potatoes. I think it’s the perfect complement to our prime beef.
Fleming’s Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. jalapeños
4 oz. leeks
1-1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1-1/2 oz. butter, lightly salted
2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups half & half
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. jack cheese, grated
3 lbs. Idaho russet potatoes
Instructions:
Remove seeds from jalapeños and dice finely. Cut ends off leeks. Dice the bottom 3 inches of leeks into 1/2-inch pieces.
Place butter in large sauce pot set on medium high heat. Add jalapeños, leeks, salt and pepper, sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add cream and half & half and bring to a simmer. When cream is hot, pull off stove, add both cheeses and blend in thoroughly.
Peel potatoes and slice thinly. Spray sides and bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish with pan coating. Evenly distribute the potatoes and sauce in the pan.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° F for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes till top is a dark, golden brown.
Makes 6 servings. Discard after 3 days.
I’d love to hear your comments about this recipe or any of your other Fleming’s favorites.