Ottolenghi’s Potato, Fennel and Smoked Salmon Bake
Ottolenghi's rich salmon, potato and fennel bake is a take on the classic Swedish comfort food favourite lax pudding.
Introduction
This dish evolved from a recipe for lax pudding which Yotam published a while back in the Guardian. Lax pudding is Swedish comfort food 101, with purists spooning over lots of melted butter as they eat it with crisp bread, a leafy salad and a glass of beer. Adding the fennel makes the texture slightly scrambled, which we like. It lightens the load at the same time as taking nothing from its comfort food credentials. Eat it as a main course. Green salad is a must. The crisp bread and beer are up to you.
Ingredients
| 200ml | whole milk |
| 425ml | double cream |
| 2 | anchovy fillets, finely chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, lightly smashed in their skins |
| shaved strips of zest from 1 lemon | |
| 2 tsp | fennel seeds, finely ground |
| 850g | Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ½cm thick (700g) |
| 1–2 large | fennel bulbs, thinly sliced (300g) |
| 4 | egg yolks |
| 10g | dill fronds, roughly chopped |
| 20g | chives, finely chopped |
| 20g | parsley leaves, finely chopped |
| 200g | smoked salmon slices, roughly torn |
| 1½ tbsp | butter, softened |
| For the lemon butter sauce: | |
|---|---|
| 2 tbsp | lemon juice |
| 2 tsp | capers, roughly chopped |
| 40g | cold unsalted butter, roughly cubed |
| salt and black pepper |
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan.
Put the milk, cream, anchovies, garlic, lemon peel and ground fennel into a small pan. Place on a very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and pressing on the solids to get the most out of their flavour, taking care that it does not come to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the potatoes and fennel in a medium pan and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 6–7 minutes, until just tender. Strain and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Strain the infused milk and cream mixture into the eggs, pressing the solids against the sieve to get as much flavour out of the garlic and lemon as possible. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
Combine all the herbs in a small bowl. Measure out 2 tablespoons into a separate small bowl and set both aside.
Grease an ovenproof dish – about 26cm wide – with ½ tablespoon of the butter. Spoon a third of the potato and fennel all over the base and grind over some black pepper. Sprinkle over half the herbs and drape half the smoked salmon on top. Repeat by arranging another layer with half the remaining potatoes and fennel (plus the black pepper), all the remaining salmon and the other half of the herbs. Arrange the final layer of potatoes and fennel on top and carefully pour over the egg mix. Grind over some more black pepper and dot over the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake for 45 minutes, until the custard is just set and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the lemon juice into a small pan on medium-high heat and bring to a bubble. Let it bubble for 1 minute and then add the capers and butter, a few pieces at a time. Whisk until smooth and creamy, take off the heat and stir in the reserved herbs, along with a good grind of black pepper. Spoon the butter over the pudding and serve warm, with crisp breads and a salad on the side.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use.
