Pink Fir Apple Potato - Vegetable of the Month Recipes
Monday, October 27th, 2008 |
The pink fir apple potato is pink (surprise!) and an unusual long thin shape and can be knobbly, so a bit of a pain to clean. However they have a wonderful flavour and are NEVER cheap in the shops - so tick the boxes that help me decide what to grow! I have also discovered this year that they are amazingly tough - while allotment colleagues have complained about blight and slug damage, my pink fir apples have been remarkably problem free. They are a main crop potato - so October is the month in which they reach their full glory! |
They are most suitable for boiling - although they are a main crop potato their waxy texture is more like that of a new potato, however you can also cook them in the oven with a bit of butter (add a sprig of rosemary for a great flavour). They make a wonderful salad potato. I slice them and mix them with parsley, chives or spring onions and mayonnaise. For a complete meal add some shell fish or tuna or firm white fish or chicken. Top with rocket.
They also make a great potato gratin. Here is my recipe for the best potato gratin ever. If you cannot source chanterelles then ordinary mushrooms will be very nice, but it will definitely not be the same dish. The quantity given here will serve 4 - 6:
Scrub about 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of waxy potatoes and slice them into thickish rounds. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for a couple of minutes. Clean and slice (not finely) 1 pound (500 gm) of chanterelles and fry gently in butter with a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes.
Butter a gratin dish, layer half the potatoes and season with freshly ground pepper. Put the mushrooms on top and cover with the remaining slices of potatoes. Pour 3/4 pint of single cream over the top. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 40 minutes - until most of the cream has been absorbed in the potatoes and they have a golden crust.