“From The Earth” Potato Fondant, Porcini Potato Puree, Mushroom Soil, Potato Crisps, Crispy Hen Of the Woods Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- As needed Porcini-potato puree** (warmed)
- As needed Soil**
- As needed Aioli**
- 4 each Potato Balls** (warmed)
- As needed Fingerling potato chips**
- As needed Crispy mushrooms**
- 1 each Idaho® fingerling potato, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 each Gold leaf, large pieces
**Porcini- Potato Puree Ingredients:
- 1 Idaho® russet potato, 70 count, peeled
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup milk
- Salt as needed
**Porcini Puree Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Frozen porcinis, large, thawed and diced
- Salt and pepper as needed
- 1 tablespoon water
**Soil Ingredients:
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- ¼ cup squid ink
- 1 gallon vegetable oil for frying
- 1 Idaho® russet potato, 70 count, peeled and sliced
- Salt as needed
- Dehydrated porcini puree
**Aioli Ingredients:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- ½ ounce water
- 1 cup spicy olive oil
- Salt as needed
**Potato Balls Ingredients:
- 2 Idaho® russet potatoes, 70 count, peeled
- Mushroom stock as needed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
**Mushroom Stock Ingredients:
- ½ pound of mushroom stems
- 1 ½ quarts water
**Fingerling Potato Chips Ingredients
- Reserved vegetable oil as needed
- 8 Idaho® fingerling potatoes, peeled and sliced
- Salt as needed
**Crispy Mushrooms Ingredients:
- 1 hen of the woods mushroom
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt as needed
Directions:
- On 4 warm, round plates, make a small, half-moon swoosh of porcini-potato puree. Add soil, overlapping the narrow side of the potato swoosh.
- Squeeze a small dollop of aioli onto center of each mound of soil. Place one potato ball (see note) atop each dollop of aioli.
- Arrange fingerling chips, mushrooms and raw fingerlings slices around thick ends of each potato swoosh. Alternate so they resemble a forest of sorts.
- Garnish each potato ball with a piece of gold leaf.
- Note: If you are rewarming potato balls just before planting, do so in remaining mushroom stock and a bit of butter.
**Porcini- Potato Puree Directions:
- Start the porcini puree the day before you plan to serve. Boil potato for 30 minutes, and then bake on a cookie sheet, in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm butter and milk in a pot over low heat.
- Puree potato in a separate pot with a hand ricer. Slowly whisk in milk and butter until incorporated, smooth and silky. Aggressively season with salt.
- Add porcini puree to potato. Add another teaspoon of porcini, if desired. Reserve remaining porcini for soil. Season and keep warm.
**Porcini Puree Directions
- Heat oil in sauté pan over high heat. Add porcinis begin to brown slightly, move them around. Cool on high 2 minutes longer, then reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place in a blender with warm water. Puree on high until smooth, then cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 4 by 4 inch square. Spread a paper-thin layer of porcini puree on parchment. Dehydrate for 12 hours in a dehydrator, or set your oven to 250 degrees F, shut it off when warmed to temperature.
- Wait 30 minutes and leave square in the oven for the next 12 hours. Once dehydrated, the puree should be crispy. Reserve.
**Soil Directions
- Start the soil the same day you plan to serve.
- Fill a pot with a steamer pan a third full with water and bring to a boil. Combine tapioca and squid ink in a bowl. The mixture will have a solid but slightly crumbly texture.
- Roll mixture into a log about 5 inches long on a piece of plastic wrap, compressing it a bit as you form the log. Enclose entirely in plastic wrap and tie each end with twine or string.
- Steam log in boiling water, covered for 45 minutes. Remove log from heat and cool in fridge for at least 2 hours. When cool, shave thin strips off log with a vegetable peeler. Collect peelings on a cookie sheet, leaving an inch or 2 of space between each. Leave in a dry place overnight.
- Heat at least 5 inches of oil in a stockpot. Cover a cookie sheet with 4 layers of paper towels. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, place a few squid ink peelings into pot. Fry for 2 minutes in batches and cool on paper towels. Reserve.
- Bring oil temperature down to 320 degrees F, cover a cookie sheet with 4 layers of paper towels. In batches, fry a few potato slices at a time for just less than a minute, until golden brown. Season with salt and cool on paper towels. Save oil for fingerling potato chips component.
- Finely chop 10 squid ink peelings, 10 potato chips and remaining dehydrated porcini puree until mixture resembles dirt. Reserve.
**Aioli Directions:
- Whisk yolk, garlic, lemon juice, and water in a large bowl until combined. Gradually drizzle in oil, whisking constantly, until incorporated. Season with salt and more lemon juice as needed. Reserve in refrigerator.
**Potato Balls
- Make 8 spheres out of potatoes with a melon baller. Place spheres in cold water. You’re only going to need 4 in the end, but having a couple extra as backup will be helpful.
- Place spheres in a pot and cover with mushroom stock. Add butter and salt, then bring to a boil. Cool over high heat, covered for 30 minutes, or until most of the stock has evaporated. Taste a potato and season the rest with salt as needed. Reserve.
**Mushroom Stock
- Place mushroom stems and water in a pressure cooker and bring up pressure over medium heat. When pressure is set and the cooker is rocking, reduce heat to low and cool for 1 ½ hours. No steam should escape. Allow pressure cooker to come to room temperature before opening. Skim off stems and reserve stock.
**Fingerling Potato Chips Directions
- Bring oil temperature to 320 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet with 4 layers of paper towels. In batches, fry a few slices at a time for about 45 seconds, until golden brown. Season with salt and cool on paper towels. Reserve.
**Crispy Mushrooms Directions:
- Cover a cookie tray with 4 layers of paper towels. Separate mushroom into its individual branches at their base. Heat oil in a sauté pan over high heat, add mushrooms. When mushrooms are universally golden, season with salt and cool on paper towels. Reserve.