marco pierre white’s fondant potatoes
I’ve been browsing the BBC Maestro series; a selection of masterclasses from famous experts in their field. Filmmaking with Edgar Wright, photography with Rankin and much more besides. What caught my eye was the series of food classes with Marco Pierre White. I thought I’d try Marco Pierre White’s fondant potatoes.
Marco has a shaman-like quality in this series: wise and patient, imparting gems from his vast experience in a lifetime of kitchens. It’s serious and verging on pretentious but the knowledge he is dropping is absolute gold.
Even with this basic recipe – just potatoes, butter, water and salt – is a penitent affair clocking at over 7 minutes deliberately telling you to take your time.
I made it once and it was fine, but I’d gauged the pan wrong and it was far too large so the potatoes cooked through before they had coloured. Working on a smaller pan with less potatoes meant I could control it much more easily and they coloured a treat.
The potatoes were good – but really you’re eating about 100g butter in each bite so I’m not surprised. But they toed the line between boiled potatoes and roasted potatoes to a point where I was conflicted it wasn’t either of them. So I don’t love it, but it was fascinating. In fact it gave me an idea for two more potato recipes – including an improvement on my master recipe for roast potatoes! – so I’ll take getting inspired as a win. Probably what Marco intended anyway?
You can browse the BBC Maestro site for yourself here
https://www.bbcmaestro.com/courses
This article is not sponsored, though I note the week I publish this it’s 40% off.
marco pierre white's fondant potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 kg new potatoes peeled
- 250 g butter keep the butter paper
- Maldon salt
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, and cut off the tops and bottoms to give a flat surface.
- Cut the butter into 1cm slices and lay in a frying pan. Lay the potatoes on top of the butter and season with salt.
- Pour in enough water to so that it’s just below the surface of the potatoes. Open up the butter paper and lay on the potatoes.
- Place the pan on the hob and bring to the boil. Simmer the potatoes gently in the butter and water.
- Let the potatoes simmer hard in the butter until they are evenly and deeply browned on one side and then flip them. Season with more salt.
- Once cooked through remove them from the heat and cover in a double layer of cling film. Leave the potatoes off the heat to rest in the butter for about an hour.
- Finish by brushing the potatoes with a little of their own butter juice, then check if they need more salt.
Marco’s approach in this series, while serious and bordering on pretentious, exudes wisdom and patience as he shares invaluable insights from his extensive culinary experience. Even with a seemingly basic potato recipe, his meticulous guidance encourages you to savor the process. While your first attempt may have been fine, it’s clear that the devil is in the details, and mastering the technique is an art. The result, though laden with butter, straddles the line between boiled and roasted potatoes, creating a unique culinary experience that’s both intriguing and inspiring. It’s a testament to Marco’s ability to spark creativity and innovation in the kitchen.
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