Chef Thomas Keller’s Pommes Chateau Recipe (Chateau Potatoes)

These crispy, buttery, oval-shaped potatoes prove to be an ideal side dish for Chef Keller’s dover sole saute recipe.

• 1 red bliss potato (yields four pieces)
• 0.5 grams black peppercorns (peppercorns are more flavorful than ground black pepper)
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 2 cloves garlic, skin on, lightly crushed
• 10 grams unsalted butter
• 10 grams clarified butter
• Kosher salt

Equipment:

• Paring knife
• Bird’s beak paring knife
• Cutting board
• 2 small saucepots
• Slotted spoon

1. 1

   Trim the ends off the potato, then quarter it lengthwise into rectan- gles. Holding the potato lengthwise by its cut ends, use a bird’s beak paring knife to remove the skin of the potato and shape it into an oval with seven sides—six equal, curved sides, plus one wider, flat side.

2. 2

   Place the potatoes, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and salt in a saucepot, and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (when boiling potatoes, always start them in cold water so they cook more evenly and keep their shape). Bring the water up to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they are almost tender (i.e., slightly under-cooked), approximately 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the potatoes in the warm water.

3. 3

   The potatoes are done when the potato slides off the blade when pierced with a paring knife.

4. 4

   Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes from the cooking water to a small saucepot set over medium-low heat. Add in the butter and clarified butter. Swirl the saucepot to coat the potatoes in the butter. Season with salt.

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