Fondant potato with cheese custard, dulse and nori fries
If you’re looking for the ultimate in comfort food, how about fondant potatoes served with fries and covered in a cheese custard? Indulgence heaven.
Ingredients
For the pickled dulse
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú white wine vinegar
- 15g/½oz caster sugar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 100g/3½oz fresh dulse, washed and drained
For the cheese custard
- 4 gelatine leaves
- 250g/9oz double cream
- 6 free-range egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
- 200g/7oz strong cheddar, grated
- 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú ²µ°ù³Ü²âè°ù±ð, grated
- pinch salt
For the fondant potato
For the nori shoestring fries
- potato trim (see the fondant potato method below), cut into thin matchsticks
- 500ml/18fl oz vegetable oil
- 3 nori sheets
- ½ tsp citric acid
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp monosodium glutamate
- 3 tsp kombu dashi powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tsp milk powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
To serve
Method
To make the pickled dulse, put the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and 150g/5½oz water in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Leave the vinegar mixture to cool to room temperature then add the dulse. Place in an airtight container and leave to pickle in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
To make the cheese custard, place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and set aside.
Place the cream and 200g/7oz water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.
Whisk together the egg yolks and egg in a bowl. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Once fully incorporated, place the egg mixture back into the saucepan and keep stirring. Checking with a food thermometer, bring the custard to 75C. Squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves and add to the custard. Stir well to dissolve the gelatine.
Place the grated cheeses in a blender and pour in the hot custard. Blend on a high speed for 1 minute or until the cheese is fully blended into the custard. Taste and season with salt.
Pour through a sieve into a bowl. Place a layer of cling film on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin forming and chill in the fridge for roughly 4–5 hours until cool and set firm.
When ready to use, put the cheese custard in a piping bag fitted with a flat-headed icing nozzle. Or you can just spoon the custard onto the plate. You want to serve this at room temperature.
To make the fondant potato, cut the sides off the potatoes to create a puck-like shape that is roughly 2cm/1in in height. Reserve the trim of the potato for the shoestring fries below.
Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a high heat. Pat the cut potatoes dry and place in the butter. Cook until a dark brown crust forms on both sides of the potatoes. Once caramelised, lower the heat.
Mix the dashi powder and soy sauce in a jug with 350ml/12fl oz boiling water. Pour in the dashi stock, until the potato is just covered, the top still visible. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook on a medium-low heat for about 15–20 minutes, or until tender.
Remove the lid and allow the stock to reduce slightly.
To make the shoestring fries, pat the potato matchsticks dry with a clean tea towel.
Preheat the vegetable oil in a deep fat fryer to 150C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Fry the potatoes for 2 minutes or until fully crisp and lightly golden. Carefully transfer to kitchen paper to drain.
Blend all of the remaining ingredients on a high speed in a food processor to a medium–fine seasoning. Sprinkle the shoestring potato fries with the nori seasoning.
Spoon or pipe the room temperature custard onto a place and place the cooked potato on top. Dot with the pickled dulse and walnuts, drizzle over a little of the liquor from the walnuts and top with the cooked shoe fries.