Such a lovely recipe, and you can of course use smoked salmon. We like smoked trout from Goatsbridge which is a local supplier. Recipe inspiration from the new Ottolenghi book – Comfort. You must have a green salad and a glass of white wine to serve. If you have a mandolin it will cut the potatoes and fennel just right.
Wine Suggestion: We served an oddity/one-off from Chateau Hureau from Saumur in the Loire. They grew a low quantity of Chenin Blanc grapes in 2022 due to frost so decided to make a Blanc de Noirs from Cabernet Franc for a bit of fun. Only available at cellar door it’s both crisp and fresh, but significantly has bags of texture which this dish needs. Look for whites with a touch of skin contact, or aged on lees as a substitute.
Potato, fennel & smoked trout bake – serves 4
- 200ml milk
- 425ml double cream
- 2 anchovies, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed with skin on
- 1 lemon, skin finely shaved into strips
- 2 tsp fennel seeds, finely ground
- 850g Yukon gold or red potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ cm thick slices
- 1-2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
- 4 egg yolks
- 10g dill fronds, roughly chopped
- 20g chives, finely chopped
- 20g parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 200g smoked trout (or smoked salmon) slices, roughly torn
for the lemon butter sauce:
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp capers, roughly chopped
- 40g unsalted butter, fridge cold and roughly chopped
Heat the oven to 170C fan.
Put the milk, cream, anchovies, garlic, lemon strips and ground fennel into a small saucepan. Place over a low heat and warm for 10 minutes, making sure it never comes to the boil. Give it a stir now and then and press on the solids to get plenty of flavour out of them. Remove from the heat.
Put the potato and fennel slices into a saucepan and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks with ¾ tsp of salt and a good grind of pepper in a large bowl. Strain the infused milk into the eggs, pressing on the solids against the sieve. Whisk to combine.
Combine all the herbs in bowl. Measure out 2 tbsp and reserve for the butter sauce.
Grease an ovenproof dish with ½ tbsp of the butter. Spoon a third of the potato and fennel over the base and grind over some pepper. Sprinkle over half the herbs and lay half the smoked trout over the top. Repeat with half the remaining potatoes and fennel, season with pepper, then add all the remanining trout and the rest of the herbs. Arrange a final layer of potato and fennel on top and carefully pour over the egg mixture. Grind over some more pepper and dot over the remaining butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until set and just golden. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile make the lemon butter sauce. Put the lemon juice into a small saucepan on a medium-high heat and bring to a bubble. Allow to bubble for 1 minute, then add the capers and butter, a few pieces at a time. Whisk until smooth and creamy, then remove from the heat and stir in the reserved herbs and some more pepper. Spoon over the dish and serve warm with a green salad.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Comfort by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller & Tara Wigley, Ebury Press, 2024.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 