Side French

14-hour crispy potato with Pont-l'évêque (cheese) sauce

Name: 14-hour crispy potato with Pont-l'évêque (cheese) sauce recipe
Yield: 6
Cuisine: /french
Ingredients: 1/4 cup (55g) duck fat, at room temperature, plus 2 tbs extra; 6 medium (1kg total) Kestral potatoes washed, very thinly sliced on the thinnest mandoline setting; 180g Le Conquérant Demi Pont l’Évêque, cut into 1cm slices; 1/3 cup (80ml) pure (thin) cream; 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

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by Ellie and Sam Studd

May 20, 2022

Potato and cheese – could anything be more comforting? Set aside a day for Ellie and Sam Studd’s indulgent recipe uniting the two, featuring a luscious French cheese.

1/4 cup (55g) duck fat, at room temperature, plus 2 tbs extra
6 medium (1kg total) Kestral potatoes washed, very thinly sliced on the thinnest mandoline setting
180g Le Conquérant Demi Pont l’Évêque, cut into 1cm slices
1/3 cup (80ml) pure (thin) cream
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 120°C. Line a 20cm x 10cm x 6cm loaf pan with baking paper.
2.

Place duck fat in a large bowl. Add potato slices and 2 tsp salt flakes and toss to coat evenly. Carefully layer potato into the prepared pan, making sure there is duck fat between each layer. Place a piece of baking paper directly on top, and bake for 2 hours 30 minutes-3 hours until potato is soft when tested with a skewer.
3.

Remove from oven and immediately stack a second loaf pan of the same size on top of the potato, weighing it down with cans or baking weights and making sure the entire surface is evenly pressed. Chill for at least 12-14 hours.
4.

Lift potato from pan and cut into 6 even pieces. Heat the extra 2 tbs duck fat in a medium frypan over medium-high heat. Add potato pieces and fry, cut-side down, for 3-4 minutes on both sides until crispy. Transfer to a wire rack, pat off excess fat with paper towel, season with salt flakes.
5.

Meanwhile, to make the cheese sauce, preheat oven to 180°C. Place Pont l’Évêque, cream and mustard in a small ovenproof dish. Bake for 10 minutes, stir to break up any big clumps, then bake for a further 2 minutes. Stir again, scatter with freshly cracked black pepper and serve immediately alongside the potato.