pear-shaped potatoes
This was one of the dishes we had at Christmas. Very cute looking, they are potato mash in the shape of a pear, with a little stalk made of thick spaghetti (Buccatoni 5), crisped up in a hot oven.
I found the recipe at the food blog of the Ministry of Food and Drink, a popular Dutch food blog [ministerie van eten en drinken, where Ellen explained these pears are a Luxembourg speciality, sold in shops all over the holidays. They are quite easy to do. Make a mash of potatoes: cook potatoes in boiling water until done (15 to 20 minutes), then put them through a ricer and add butter and milk until you have a good mash. Add salt and a little nutmeg for taste. Let the mixture cool slightly until cold enough to handle (or make the mash beforehand).
Scoop up a piece of mash with your hands, about the size of a large egg. Shape it into a pear. This is fun! I kind of patted it into shape and put them on a plate. When you are through with your mash, beat 2 eggs with a little water and cover the pears with the mixture. Then dip into breadcrumbs. I used the Japanese panko crumbs, which turn out very crispy (they are highly recommended for other frying activities, too). Snip off sticks of a thick spaghetti and stick into the top of the pear to resemble the stalk. Butter an oven tray (or use a non stick sheet) and put the pears on. All can be done beforehand - you can make this for a large group of people as a kind of side dish; you don't have to worry about last-minute kitchen chaos.
Preheat the oven at 200 C, take your tray of pears, put a little molten butter over the pears to help them crisp up. Bake in a hot oven for 25 to 30 minutes. The spaghetti stalks will have blackened outside, with a little luck you can even lift the potato-pears by the stalk and serve them on everyone's plate.
I will now go out to buy stuff to make oliebollen (oil fritters) for the New Year. See you in the next year!
I found the recipe at the food blog of the Ministry of Food and Drink, a popular Dutch food blog [ministerie van eten en drinken, where Ellen explained these pears are a Luxembourg speciality, sold in shops all over the holidays. They are quite easy to do. Make a mash of potatoes: cook potatoes in boiling water until done (15 to 20 minutes), then put them through a ricer and add butter and milk until you have a good mash. Add salt and a little nutmeg for taste. Let the mixture cool slightly until cold enough to handle (or make the mash beforehand).
Scoop up a piece of mash with your hands, about the size of a large egg. Shape it into a pear. This is fun! I kind of patted it into shape and put them on a plate. When you are through with your mash, beat 2 eggs with a little water and cover the pears with the mixture. Then dip into breadcrumbs. I used the Japanese panko crumbs, which turn out very crispy (they are highly recommended for other frying activities, too). Snip off sticks of a thick spaghetti and stick into the top of the pear to resemble the stalk. Butter an oven tray (or use a non stick sheet) and put the pears on. All can be done beforehand - you can make this for a large group of people as a kind of side dish; you don't have to worry about last-minute kitchen chaos.
Preheat the oven at 200 C, take your tray of pears, put a little molten butter over the pears to help them crisp up. Bake in a hot oven for 25 to 30 minutes. The spaghetti stalks will have blackened outside, with a little luck you can even lift the potato-pears by the stalk and serve them on everyone's plate.
I will now go out to buy stuff to make oliebollen (oil fritters) for the New Year. See you in the next year!
3 Comments:
These mash-pears look smashing, but how was the taste? And what is panko made of? I'm always looking for recipes I can adapt to a glutenfree and dairyfree diet, that still look appetizing and are good to eat.
Lizet van de Spinazieacademie.
They taste like mashed potato, but with a really nice crust! Adding the butter adds an extra yummie taste; you really have to cut through the outer layer to get to the hot mash.
Panko is made of bread crumbs, so not gluten free I am afraid. Perhaps polenta flour could be a substitute?
Luckily we can buy glutenfree breadcrumbs, but I think they're not suitable for this recipe, will try polenta, might work just great. Instead of butter I use stock and soy cream for taste and texture in mash, works quite well too. Thnx for the tip!
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