Salsify or Oyster Plant (Salsifis)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8 L) stainless-steel or enameled saucepan
• •Baking parchment for a cartouche
• •Sturdy vegetable peeler or scraper
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the blanc

   In a 4-quart nonreactive saucepan, whisk the flour with 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of the cold water until perfectly smooth. Whisk in the remaining 7 cups (1.65 L / 1.65 kg) water, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 17 g) salt. Cut a cartouche, a round of baking parchment, to fit inside the saucepan and set it beside the stove. Keep the cold blanc beside your cutting board before you touch the roots.

   Use stainless steel or enamel. Lemon in bare aluminum or reactive iron can give the roots a gray cast and metallic taste before the blanc has a chance to protect them.
2. 2

   Scrape the roots

   Wash away every trace of soil, then work with one root at a time. Trim the ends and scrape white salsify firmly, removing its thin outer skin; peel only the black skin from scorzonera. Cut each root into 3-inch (7.5 cm) lengths, halving very thick pieces lengthwise, and drop every piece directly into the cold blanc. The sticky white sap is normal. If a piece turns beige, don't discard it. Put it into the blanc at once and continue. Ça se rattrape: its flavor is unchanged, and the later butter bronzing will make slight discoloration inconspicuous. A deeply browned surface will not return to ivory, so never scrape the whole pile before submerging it.

   White salsify and black scorzonera are different plants, but the same blanc and the same doneness test serve both. Gloves spare your hands from the tacky sap, though lemon juice removes it readily.
3. 3

   Cook at a tremble

   Whisk the blanc once more, then bring it gradually to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring along the bottom as the flour warms. Lay the cartouche directly on the liquid to keep the roots submerged. Cook at the barest tremble for 20 to 30 minutes, checking thinner pieces first. A paring knife should enter with faint resistance, and a piece should flex without collapsing. If the blanc thickens around the roots like paste, the heat is too high; add ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) hot water, lower the heat, and continue gently. Don't boil them into softness. The finished roots must remain firm enough to face the skillet.

4. 4

   Drain and dry

   Lift the tender roots into a colander with a slotted spoon. Rinse them briefly under warm water to remove the floury coating, then spread them over a clean kitchen towel and blot every surface dry. Leave them uncovered for 5 minutes. This drying is part of the sauté, not an idle pause: wet salsifis spits, steams, and refuses to take color.

5. 5

   Sauté in butter

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add half the roots in one uncrowded layer. Leave them untouched for 2 minutes, then roll them gently and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes, until several sides are butter-gold. Transfer them to a warm serving dish and repeat with another 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter and the remaining roots. The butter may approach beurre noisette, hazelnut-brown butter, but it must not develop black specks. If it smells bitter, lift out the roots, wipe the skillet clean, lower the heat, and restart with the reserved butter. Ça se rattrape. Burnt butter does not improve through bravery.

6. 6

   Gloss and serve

   Return all the salsifis to the skillet. If the final tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter was not needed for rescue, add it now and roll the roots through it for 30 seconds, just until they gleam. Season gradually with the remaining ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) salt, tasting before using it all because the blanc has already seasoned the centers. Bring the salsifis to the table while the edges are golden, the centers tender, and a little butter still pools beneath them. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose straight, firm roots that feel heavy and resist bending. Very thin roots leave you with more peel than supper, while limp ones tend to be fibrous inside. Black scorzonera is often easier to find and works by precisely the same method.
• •The milky sap becomes tacky on hands and tools. Gloves are useful, but not essential; rub the blade and your fingers with a squeezed lemon half, then wash with warm soapy water.
• •Good jarred or canned salsify is the honest preserved choice when fresh roots are poor. It has already been cooked, so rinse it, dry it very well, and begin at the skillet. The texture will be softer, and you won't practice the blanc, but it still makes a proper buttered side.
• •Serve these roots beside roast chicken, a pork chop, veal, poached fish, or two fried eggs. Their quiet sweetness wants savory company, not a parade of garnish. Butter, salt, and good browning are enough.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the roots through the blanc up to 24 hours ahead. Cool the saucepan promptly in a basin of cold water, then refrigerate the roots submerged in their blanc. Drain, rinse, and dry them only when you are ready to sauté.
• •For a same-evening head start, scraped raw pieces may wait in the cold blanc for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Whisk the bath thoroughly before bringing it to a simmer.
• •The butter finish is best served immediately. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; reheat them gently in a skillet with a small piece of butter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 215g)