12334 La Tupina's Sardine and Potato Cake Serves 4 Wed Aug 06 01:04:14 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 01:30:42 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12334 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:30:42 GMT At the restaurant La Tupina in Bordeaux there's no closed season on giblets sizzling in a skillet, stuffed chicken roasting on a spit, beans simmering in an iron pot in the fireplace, and thick slices of jambon de Bayonne sautéing with glazed shallots (Cured Ham With Vinegar and Caramelized Shallots, pages 23–24). Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, the keeper of the Bordeaux culinary flame, provides numerous wonderful authentic local dishes prepared the traditional way. For the first edition of this book, he gave me a little known recipe that he didn't want forgotten (Confit of Pig's Tongue, page 282). And, indeed, it is a keeper.

For this edition, he wanted me to include the great seasonal combination of the Bordeaux–La Rochelle corridor: an assembled, perfectly balanced dish of nutty, thin-skinned potatoes interlaced with just-cooked fillets of the local sardines, called royans, voluptuously coated with Charentais butter and dotted with fresh chives.

]]>
  • Spread the sardines fillets out in a single layer in an ovenproof glass or ceramic dish. Season lightly with sea salt and scatter the bay leaves on top; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F. Meanwhile, boil the unskinned potatoes until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into slices ½ inch thick. Slowly fry in a large nonstick skillet over low heat, in batches if necessary, in 3 tablespoons of the butter until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
  • Slip the fillets into the oven to bake for 2 minutes. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. Season it with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
  • On 4 warmed plates, alternate slices of potatoes with sardine fillets. Drizzle the butter on top and garnish with a sprinkling of chives. Serve at once.
  • Stay on the lookout for fresh sardines at your favorite fish market. They show up fairly regularly now on the east and west coasts. You can find them frozen imported from Portugal at some Latin markets.
  • If your fishmonger does not clean the fish for you, here's how to prepare them: Rinse the fish under cold running water. Hold the first one between your thumb and forefinger and use your thumbnail to slit open the belly. With the other hand, pull the head toward the belly. Remove the guts and cut off the head. Use a rubbing motion with your thumb and forefinger and, beginning at the tail, slip off the skin. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining sardines.
  • If you can find butter from the Charente (see Mail Order Sources, pages 415–417), said to be the best butter from France, and some domestic fingerling potatoes, all the better—you're in for a superb culinary treat!
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 12 very fresh, shiny, sardines (about 1⅓ pounds), cleaned and skinned (see Notes at right)

    ]]>     1 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed

    ]]>     Coarse sea salt

    ]]>     2 imported bay leaves, halved

    ]]>     ⅓ cup AA quality salted butter (see Note at right)

    ]]>     Juice of 1 lemon

    ]]>     Freshly ground pepper

    ]]>     2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

    ]]>