I can’t help feeling that sarladaise potatoes are the defining dish of south-west France. The combination of the tomato and capers, the sarladaise potatoes and the cod with a bit of bite to it is my idea of good fish cooking.
INGREDIENTS
4 x 175g – 225g Pieces of thick unskinned cod fillet
15g melted butter
for the Pommes Sarladaise
1kg floury potatoes
4 heaped,tablespoon goose fat
3 garlic gloves
25g flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon truffle oil
For the tomato and caper salad
medium sized tomatoes thinly sliced
2 teasppon capers drained and rinsed
1 small red onion
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
pinch of caster sugar
4 teaspoons virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
METHOD
For the pommes sarladaise, peel and thickly slice the potatoes – about 5 mm thick. Heat 3 tablespoons of the goose or duck fat in a large, reliably non-stick frying pan.
Add the potatoes and some seasoning and fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the bottom layer of potatoes is golden. Then turn the potatoes over and leave until another bottom layer is golden.
Some of the potatoes will remain pale, and as they cook the slices start to break up a little, but don’t worry, this is how they should be.
Repeat this for 15 minutes, making sure not to turn the potatoes before the bottom layer has browned. Then turn the heat down, cover and leave to cook very gently for another 10 minutes.
Chop the garlic and half the parsley leaves together to make a persillade.
Uncover the potatoes and mix in the persillade and the truffle oil. Cover and leave to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Meanwhile, brush the cod on both sides with the melted butter and season with some salt and pepper. Put skin-side up onto a baking tray and grill for 8-10 minutes until cooked through.
For the salad, arrange the sliced tomatoes over the base of a shallow serving dish and scatter over the sliced red onion and the capers. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper and then gradually whisk in the olive oil.
Drizzle this over the salad, scatter over the parsley and set to one side.
Now uncover the pan of potatoes, turn up the heat and add the last tablespoon of duck fat. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the bottom layer is crisp and brown, then add the remaining chopped parsley and turn over briefly.
To serves spoon the potatoes onto 4 warm plates and rest the cod on top. Serve with the tomato and caper salad.
Original recipe Rick Stein French Odyssey
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