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It’s December, which means it’s party season. Sorry, pastry season. Sausage rolls, hot water crusts, gougeres and crumbly mince pies. If it can be wrapped and baked it’s fair game, which is how I arrived at the idea of taking some seasonal protagonists (cheese, onion) combining them with a fleece of steaming mash and rolling it all up inside fluttery, butter-puffed pastry. Hard recommend. I also want to share something interesting I’ve recently learned about flavour boosting. Or more specifically, how to make the sensation of umami last longer. Say, for example, you add ‘umami-rich’ ingredients such as tomatoes, miso, or, in this case, Parmesan to a dish - they’re all high in glutamates, which are responsible for our brain recognising the intense savoury experience known as umami. Apparently, this signal to the brain can be further intensified and elongated by adding other, specific ingredients in combination with umami-laden ones - those containing ribonucleotides. That’s why I’m adding Parmesan AND anchovies to this recipe, even though the latter aren’t detectable in the finished result. They’re both strong flavours packed with glutamates, as it happens, but the anchovies are also high in ribonucleotides. Brew the correct potion and get the desired result: a long-lasting and more rounded umami effect. Think of it like adding a subwoofer to your speaker set-up and enjoying a more immersive auditory adventure. Or, subscribing to the paid version of this newsletter for the full Flavour Nuggets experience (sorry, not sorry). TL;DR: these taste great - you should make them.
They are reminiscent of a cheese and potato bake but in a more festivity-friendly format. Who says we can’t wrap cheesy mash in pastry and call it a nibble? WHO? I love how the mash threatens to burst out and becomes lightly bronzed on its surface, the odd nugget of cheese bubbled and crisp on the hot baking tray. I love the soothing contrast between shattering pastry and squishy mash. I love the double-carb, dunkable, OTT silliness of them. There are other ways to have fun with this, of course:
Cheese, Onion and Potato Rolls Sweet, caramelised onions, the powerful lactic tang of our umami-boosted Parm, some Cheddar for that rounded cheesiness and the softness of buttery spuds. If these don’t disappear at your next gathering, I’m afraid you’ll need some new friends. I’ve used baked potatoes because a) baked potatoes make the best mash and b) I’m using the skins for this week’s Supersize Me! in a dish of potato skin nachos guaranteed to get your parties started. 4 baking potatoes (mine were average-sized - if large, I’d do 3) Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Pierce the potatoes a few times each with a skewer. Place directly onto the oven shelf and bake for 1 hour. Leave the oven on for the sausage rolls. While the potatoes are baking, caramelise the onions. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring regularly, until deeply golden and caramelised - around 45 minutes. Allow to cool a little, then chop finely. If you’re going to make the potato skin nachos in this week’s Supersize Me! then you can caramelise an extra onion here to get ahead. Once the potatoes are cooked, allow to cool a little, then cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Set the skins aside for another use, like this recipe! Pass the flesh through a fine sieve or potato ricer to get it nice and smooth, then mix with the cheese, chopped onions, anchovies, sour cream and black pepper. Season with salt. Lay out the pastry sheet (it comes wrapped in non-stick paper, so use this as your surface) then make a long sausage across the lower third of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch gap at the bottom. Brush the inch section of the pastry with the egg mixture, then fold the rest of the pastry over and seal it down onto the egg wash. Use a fork to press along the edge and seal it all together, then trim off any excess to make it neat. Cover and chill for 20 minutes. Cut the log into 14 mini rolls using a sharp knife - I found a small serrated knife the best tool for the job here. Transfer to a lined baking tray then brush with the egg mixture, brushing the surface but not the edges (as this will stop the pastry from puffing up properly). Sprinkle with nigella seeds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Allow to cool a little before serving - easier said than done. Serve with hot sauce, mustard or pickle.
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Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Flavour nugget #5: cheese, onion and potato rolls
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