Smoked Potatoes with Fenugreek-Whey Sauce

Name: Smoked Potatoes with Fenugreek-Whey Sauce
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 2 lb. small waxy potatoes; 1 ⁄ 4 cup canola oil; 5 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves; 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 cup fine-grain oak or hickory wood chips (the type used for a stovetop smoker); 1 ⁄ 3 cup toasted sesame oil; 1 (2"-piece) ginger, peeled and minced; 1 ⁄ 4 cup thinly sliced garlic scapes or chives; 2 pods green cardamom; 1 qt. plain, full-fat yogurt, drained overnight (should yield about 1½ cups whey); 1 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves; 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled; Herbs and wildflowers, such as hyssop, garlic, and thyme flowers (optional)

Serves
serves 4

JAMES FISHER

Tart, tannic whey, the liquid byproduct of strained yogurt, is bolstered with butter and vegetal fenugreek in this sauce from Garagistes restaurant in Tasmania, creating a tangy, rich canvas for creamy cold-smoked potatoes.

Ingredients

2 lb. small waxy potatoes
¹⁄₄ cup canola oil
5 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup fine-grain oak or hickory wood chips (the type used for a stovetop smoker)
¹⁄₃ cup toasted sesame oil
1 (2"-piece) ginger, peeled and minced
¹⁄₄ cup thinly sliced garlic scapes or chives
2 pods green cardamom
1 qt. plain, full-fat yogurt, drained overnight (should yield about 1½ cups whey)
1 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
Herbs and wildflowers, such as hyssop, garlic, and thyme flowers (optional)

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Instructions

Step 1

Heat oven to 350°. Toss potatoes, oil, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, and salt on a baking sheet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes, and transfer to an 8" square baking dish. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with ice; nestle dish with potatoes into ice. Place ½ cup wood chips in a small metal bowl. Using a blowtorch, light chips, stirring as needed, until all the chips are charred; blow out any embers that remain and nestle bowl into ice. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil; let sit for 25 minutes. Repeat smoking process with remaining wood chips.

Step 2

Heat 1 tbsp. sesame oil in a 1-qt. saucepan. Cook ginger until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add remaining sesame oil, the garlic scapes, salt, and pepper; let cool. Toast cardamom in a 2-qt. saucepan until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add whey from yogurt (save yogurt for another use) and fenugreek; boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced by two thirds, 18–20 minutes. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-qt. saucepan; heat over low. Slowly whisk in butter, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Spoon whey sauce on a serving platter and top with potatoes; sprinkle with garlic scape mixture, and, if you like, herbs and wildflowers.

Heat oven to 350°. Toss potatoes, oil, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, and salt on a baking sheet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes, and transfer to an 8" square baking dish. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with ice; nestle dish with potatoes into ice. Place ½ cup wood chips in a small metal bowl. Using a blowtorch, light chips, stirring as needed, until all the chips are charred; blow out any embers that remain and nestle bowl into ice. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil; let sit for 25 minutes. Repeat smoking process with remaining wood chips.
Heat 1 tbsp. sesame oil in a 1-qt. saucepan. Cook ginger until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add remaining sesame oil, the garlic scapes, salt, and pepper; let cool. Toast cardamom in a 2-qt. saucepan until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add whey from yogurt (save yogurt for another use) and fenugreek; boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced by two thirds, 18–20 minutes. Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-qt. saucepan; heat over low. Slowly whisk in butter, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Spoon whey sauce on a serving platter and top with potatoes; sprinkle with garlic scape mixture, and, if you like, herbs and wildflowers.