Pommes de Terre Mirette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp chef's knife or mandoline with a 1/8-inch (3 mm) julienne blade and hand guard
• •10-inch (25 cm) heavy skillet with lid
• •1-quart (1-liter) broiler-safe porcelain timbale or shallow round baking dish
• •Flexible heatproof spatula
• •Small saucepan for melting the glace de viande

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the julienne

   Cut the peeled potatoes julienne-fashion, into match-shaped rods about 1/8 inch (3 mm) square. Use a sharp knife or a mandoline fitted with its hand guard, and reject thick wedges or papery strands; mixed sizes cannot finish together. Do not rinse the cut potatoes. Their surface starch helps the butter cling and gives Mirette its creamy cohesion, so cut them immediately before cooking.

   The knife work decides the dish. Uniform rods soften together while keeping their shape, which is exactly the balance Mirette requires.
2. 2

   Cook gently in butter

   Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch (25 cm) heavy skillet over medium-low heat. When it foams without coloring, add the potatoes and the measured salt, then fold gently until every rod gleams. Cover for 4 minutes so their own moisture begins the cooking, then uncover and continue for 8 to 12 minutes, turning carefully every few minutes. The pan should murmur, not fry. Taste one rod: it should yield without a chalky center yet remain recognizably a rod. If the butter begins to brown before the potatoes are tender, lift the pan from the heat and add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cold water around the edge, then lower the heat. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Fold in the richness

   Set the broiler to high with a rack 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) beneath the heat. Warm the glace de viande only until fluid, then add it to the tender potatoes with the truffle julienne. Fold with a flexible spatula over low heat for 60 to 90 seconds, just until the glaze coats the potatoes and the truffle perfume opens. Do not stir hard or let the mixture fry. If the glaze gathers into sticky patches, fold in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) warm water; it should return to a soft, glossy coating.

4. 4

   Fill the timbale

   Transfer the potatoes immediately to a warm 1-quart (1-liter) broiler-safe porcelain timbale or shallow round baking dish. Settle them lightly with the back of a spoon without compacting the julienne. Scatter the Parmesan evenly across the surface, then drizzle over the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

5. 5

   Glaze under fierce heat

   Broil for 1 to 3 minutes, watching continuously, until the Parmesan is flecked with bronze, the butter gleams across the top, and the rim bubbles. This must be a swift glaze, not another bake; lingering heat turns the creamy julienne into mash. If one patch darkens too quickly, rotate the dish or shield that spot with a scrap of foil. Rest for 2 minutes, then serve directly from the timbale. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source's instruction to keep the potatoes very creamy describes texture, not an addition of cream. Butter, surface starch, and restrained heat make the cohesion; pouring in cream would loosen the julienne and change the formula.
• •Keep the book's ratio intact: 57 g of truffle and 3 tablespoons of glace de viande for every 454 g of potato. This is a special-occasion dish by design, and thinning the truffle into a token garnish removes its character.
• •When fresh black truffle is out of season, a good whole preserved black truffle is the classical pantry answer. Drain it, pat it dry, and weigh 57 g of solid truffle. Truffle oil cannot replace the julienne's texture.
• •Use a true glace de viande made from reduced meat stock, firm when cold and syrupy when warm, without flour or starch. Gravy and salty bouillon paste have neither its body nor its clean reduction.
• •Serve Mirette beside roast veal, beef, or a simply roasted game bird. Its truffle and meat glaze already speak loudly, so the main dish should arrive without a competing sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the truffle, grate the Parmesan, portion the butter, and measure the glace de viande up to one day ahead. Keep everything covered and cold, then bring the glaze to a fluid consistency just before using it.
• •The potatoes may be peeled whole and held in cold water for up to 6 hours. Dry them thoroughly and cut the julienne immediately before cooking so the useful surface starch is not washed away.
• •Mirette is best finished at the last moment. The swift broiler glaze is the dish, not brigade scaffolding, so arrange the earlier courses to leave the final 20 minutes free for the potatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 140g)