Ingredients
- 4 medium poblano peppers
- 1 cup polenta
- ½ cup Gouda cheese, shredded
- 3 lb. fingerling potatoes
- ½ tsp. fresh thyme
- 12 oz., plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, julienned
- 4 oz. dry white wine
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. shallots, minced
- splash of heavy cream
- ½ tsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 4 peppadews, for garnish
- 12 oz. smoked salmon, for garnish
- 4 fried quail eggs, for garnish
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
POBLANOS: Place poblanos on hot grill. Turn peppers when they starts to char. Once pepper is charred on all sides, remove from grill and place in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for ten minutes. Put on plastic gloves and peel all charred skin off the pepper. Slice them down the center.
POLENTA: In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 cups of water on medium heat. When water starts to boil, slowly whisk in polenta, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until thick and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons butter and shredded gouda cheese. Remove from heat. Stuff polenta into poblano peppers.
POTATOES: Fill a medium-sized pot with water and set to medium-high heat. When water boils, add potatoes and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until al dente. Drain. When cool enough to handle, slice the potatoes into long strips. Season with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Add julienned, roasted red peppers to skillet. Toss to warm through.
BEURRE BLANC SAUCE: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine white wine, fresh cracked peppercorn, vinegar and shallots. Cook until reduced by three-quarters. Strain out solids, reserving the liquid. Return liquid to pan. Add 12 ounces cold butter, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking constantly. Continue adding butter, heavy cream and fresh parsley, whisking until fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add lemon zest.
TO PLATE: Decoratively arrange the smoked salmon, peppadews and potatoes around the plate. Place polenta-stuffed pepper in center of plate. Top with a fried quail egg. Spoon Beurre blanc sauce over egg.
Photo by Mike Licht / Flickr Commons.