These potatoes will be the brightest taste on the plate.
The development of a recipe: Sounded delicious in my head, could almost taste it on my palate, could see its brilliant color and feel its creamy texture—like velvet on my tongue. But it took many tries to get it right.
There are few sights as uplifting in the kitchen as a golden, bubbling grating coming out of the oven. It's strange to be saying this, but one of the reasons I love this particular gratin is that it isn't too creamy and rich. And the relative thinness of the wine and milk the potatoes and mushrooms are cooked in - relative to heavy cream, that is - is what allows you to cook this in such a hot oven and so quickly.
Ingredients
In Mexico, I have seen groovy little stands where the vendors poach ears of corn and then paint it with mayonnaise, dust it with chili flakes and grated queso fresco, and squeeze lime juice all over the whole thing. They do not do that in Italy, but this is what they might do. It's fantastic.
This is a permutation of the vast universe of simply dressed, grated, or julienned raw vegetable salads that includes France's grated carrot and celery root salads and the endless variety of shredded cabbage slaws in America. They all share a purity and directness of flavor, with a pleasingly rustic, elemental look.
Fresh summer greens and bits of sweet red pepper dot rice the color of a sunset — this is one good-looking salad to bring to the table, or to pack away for a picnic. In fact, I first tasted it when a Spanish friend brought it to one of our “Shakespeare in the Park” picnics in New York. It’s indestructible enough to go almost anywhere. Can be made hours ahead and chilled, but serve the salad at room temperature.
Baked this way, artichokes turn almost silky, while the stuffing browns to a nice crust. Try experimenting with this stuffing; chopped green olives are good, too.
Some of the characteristics of a classic American Chardonnay are vanilla, butter, and if it has been aged in oak, a toasty quality as well. Because Brie and Chardonnay typically go well together, I decided to deconstruct some of the elements in Chardonnay to create this hors d'oeuvre. The result is both sweet and savory and a great showcase for the buttery cheese. Note that it's easier to cut this type of cheese when it is cold. Bring to room temperature before serving.