July 2006

Saffron Poached Potato And Smoked Mackerel Tian

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This is a simple dish that can be prepared in advance and used as a great starter or with salad as a light summer lunch. We started with the potatoes. We took some potatoes and steamed them until they were very nearly cooked and then cooled them. We took a few other potatoes and gently boiled them in water and saffron again until they were very nearly cooked and then drained them and left them to cool.

We then decided what size of tian we were going to make. This decision is usually based around what size ring mould we have. As we were making a starter we made the tian quite small. (as a helpful tip, if you do not have ring moulds, a simple alternative is to use a thin piece of plastic drain pipe. This should be a new piece, cut into short lengths and then well washed before use. It will work just as well.)

To finish preparing the potatoes we cut quite thick slices from the steamed potato and then cut the slices into discs that were the same size as the mould. We then seared the discs on a char grill pan to give us the striped effect. The saffron poached potato's were also cut into thick slices and again cut into discs the same size as the mould. Some people say that it is easier to cut the slices before poaching them as then you get a much deeper yellow color from the saffron. They are right about the color but I find it is much easier to over cook the potato if you do it that way.

Now we made the mackerel mix. We took some fillets of unpeppered smoked mackerel and removed the skin. We then flaked the fish into a bowl. Into this we added some finely chopped red onion, some chopped fresh tarragon and a few soft green pepper corns. We then added a bit of creamed horseradish. The amount of this used comes down to personal taste. If you like it then add a bit more. We then bound the whole mixture together with a very small amount of softened cream cheese, salt and pepper.

To construct the tian we first lined a tray with greaseproof paper. Then lay out the ring moulds. We put a disc of the char grilled potato in the bottom. Then spooned in some of the mackerel mix. Then add one of the saffron poached potato slices, more of the mackerel mix and finish with another char grilled potato disc with the grill marks upwards. This really helps with the presentation. These tians really need to be kept in the fridge over night to set before you use them.

We served ours in a very simple way with a tangy dressing. This made with a little finely chopped onion, some chopped sun dried tomato and stem ginger. This was mixed with some good olive oil and a little white wine vinegar. We carefully spooned this around the tian and added a little finely chopped chive to finish.

I hope you give this recipe a try and of course, enjoy it.

Paul Vincent, Head Chef.