Parmesan Whip Roasted Potatoes

A comforting cheesy and salty side dish

Mashed potatoes are great, but roasted baby potatoes are better. It works all seasons on a menu. It can be dipped or tossed in a myriad of sauces or topped with copious toppings. It’s a pile of little blank canvases that look great in a dish.

Today, we’re putting standard roasted potatoes on a whipped parmesan cheese spread and topping it with a bunch of pretty stuff from the garden. When in doubt, go pick some stuff.

To make this recipe as easy as possible, chop the onion in a food processor. And while you cook them in an inexpensive wine, take the rest of the wine and fix it by adding bitters, seltzer or even a flavored simple syrup. As a side note, I used mediocre chardonnay and mixed it with a ginger kombucha and some in-house bitters. You’re always allowed to fix the wine to your liking.

It’s also worth noting, the first time I made this, I screwed up the sauce by not giving the cheese enough time to melt which resulted in a grainy finish. I was so concerned about over cooking, I undercooked (undermelted). If this is the case, just give it a bit of heat and whisk it more to get it smooth. This is also why you’re going to need to freshly grate the cheese instead of buying it pre-grated which can sometimes contain a coating on the cheese that makes it hard to melt.

Parmesean Whip Roasted Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

2 T olive oil (used in 1 T increments)

1/2 sweet onion, minced

4 oz white wine (I used chardonnay)

2 cups heavy cream

3 oz (by weight) freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 sprig fresh oregano

several handfuls of baby potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish Notes

I used what I had in the garden- pea shoots, radish flowers, oregano but you can change this to be lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and parsley. There are tons of ways to make this your own.

DIRECTIONS

1. Mince onion in a food processor for speed. In a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan heat 1 T oil and add onion. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the white wine, cook on medium until the wine is almost evaporated.

3. As this is going on, cut baby potatoes in half, toss with remaining olive oil and roast at 400 until fork tender. Set aside to lightly cool. If you put the potatoes on the cream while they’re hot, the fluffed cream will melt into a puddle.

4. Add oregano sprig, heavy cream, and cheese and bring to a simmer. Steep 5 minutes after simmering.

5. Pour though a mesh strainer and remove onions and herbs (note: you can save and add to grits or frittata). Season to taste.

6. Cool to room temperature. To speed up this process, you can chill the bowl in an ice bath.

7. Whip the cooled cheese cream until thickened to your desired texture. I went until a greek yogurt kind of phase, but you could continue to try to get it fluffier if you wanted. Plate the cream in a shallow bowl. Top with potatoes and herbs.