Red & White Chips w/American Blue Cheese Sauce
From: ArcaMax Publishing's "Recipes from Wolfgang Puck" (6/29/2011)
(c) 2011 Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Note from Wolfgang: When it comes time to planning an Independence Day cookout, most people have no problem deciding what they want to serve as their main course, whether burgers or hot dogs, steaks or chops, chicken breasts or seafood. Side dishes aren't really a problem, either, since so many of us today know & enjoy grilled vegetables, as well as having favorite recipes for potato salad & coleslaw.
But what should you offer your guests as an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer before the Fourth of July feast? Too often, we fall back on those old supermarket standbys, tearing open bags of chips and pretzels and presenting them with familiar dips made with sour cream or mayonnaise.
Instead, how about starting off your party with a bang this year by making your own tempting, freshly fried chips? And not only that, but also serving them with homemade warm cheese sauce?
In the recipe I share here, I've taken that idea another big step in honor of July 4th, serving up red beet chips, white potato chips & a blue cheese sauce.
Don't be afraid of making your own chips. Several widely available, relatively inexpensive devices make it easy.
For cutting the vegetables into thin, uniform slices, I recommend using the device known as a mandoline, so called because the rhythmic action of sliding a vegetable up and down its surface & across its inset blade resembles strumming a stringed instrument. Just be sure to get a model that includes a piece that holds the vegetable securely & keeps your fingertips safely clear of the blade; & also handle the device with the caution you'd show with any sharp tool.
Frying today is easier than ever thanks to automatic, thermostat-controlled countertop models that keep the temperature steady, help guard against spattering & even filter out the frying smells that can linger in the kitchen. That said, a good, heavy pot & a deep-frying thermometer will do a fine job, too, as long as you maintain the oil's temperature by keeping an eye on the dial & not overloading the pot with large batches that can drop the temperature too quickly. Too-cool oil gets absorbed by the vegetable, resulting in soggy, greasy chips.
Blue-veined cheeses are widely available in supermarkets today. For a truly patriotic sauce, however, look for a high-quality blue that was made in America. One of my favorites is Maytag blue, from an Iowa company founded in 1941 by a member of the same family that puts its name on kitchen & laundry appliances. Many other domestic varieties exist, too, produced by artisan cheese makers nationwide.
So give this recipe a try on Independence Day -- and watch the fireworks of happiness in your guests' eyes!
Serves 12
Ingredients Chips:
3/4 lb organic Idaho potatoes
vegetable oil for deep-frying
3/4 lb whole raw beets
salt
Ingredients Sauce:
4 ozs unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk
1 lb Maytag blue cheese or other American-made blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. First, prepare the potatoes: Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water. Peel the potatoes & working with a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut them crosswise into uniform wafer-thin slices no more than 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the slices to the bowl & leave them to soak for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low heat & with a wire whisk, stir in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, until thick & bubbling but not yet browned; 2 to 3 minutes. Whisking continuously, slowly pour in the milk. Raise the heat slightly & stirring continuously, bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer & continue stirring until the liquid is thick & creamy. Pour the milk through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean saucepan. Over low heat, stir in 12 ounces of the blue cheese until melted. Remove from the heat, cover & keep warm.
3. Fill an automatic deep fryer with vegetable oil, following the manufacturer's instructions, or fill a heavy pot with at least 4 inches of the oil. Heat to 350ºF on the deep fryer's thermostat or on a deep-frying thermometer.
4. While the oil is heating, drain the sliced potatoes & pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels. Peel the beets & slice them as you did the potatoes, blotting them with paper towels & putting them into a separate bowl.
5. When the oil is hot, fry the potatoes in several batches until golden brown; 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning them. Using the deep-fryer basket or a long-handled wire skimmer, transfer to paper towels to drain, sprinkling with salt. Fry the remaining batches of potatoes.
6. When all the potatoes have been fried, fry the beets in small batches until they've darkened slightly & their edges have curled; 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer each batch to paper towels to drain, sprinkling with salt; the beet chips will become crispier as they cool.
7. While the last batch is frying, gently rewarm the sauce & stir in the chives, reserving 1 teaspoon of the chives for garnish. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
8. Arrange the chips on one or more platters or in shallow bowls. Drizzle the sauce over the chips, if you like, garnishing with the remaining cheese & chives. Or transfer the sauce to a bowl or sauceboat & serve it separately for dipping, garnishing the chips with crumbled cheese & chives.
From: ArcaMax Publishing's "Recipes from Wolfgang Puck" (6/29/2011)
(c) 2011 Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.
Note from Wolfgang: When it comes time to planning an Independence Day cookout, most people have no problem deciding what they want to serve as their main course, whether burgers or hot dogs, steaks or chops, chicken breasts or seafood. Side dishes aren't really a problem, either, since so many of us today know & enjoy grilled vegetables, as well as having favorite recipes for potato salad & coleslaw.
But what should you offer your guests as an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer before the Fourth of July feast? Too often, we fall back on those old supermarket standbys, tearing open bags of chips and pretzels and presenting them with familiar dips made with sour cream or mayonnaise.
Instead, how about starting off your party with a bang this year by making your own tempting, freshly fried chips? And not only that, but also serving them with homemade warm cheese sauce?
In the recipe I share here, I've taken that idea another big step in honor of July 4th, serving up red beet chips, white potato chips & a blue cheese sauce.
Don't be afraid of making your own chips. Several widely available, relatively inexpensive devices make it easy.
For cutting the vegetables into thin, uniform slices, I recommend using the device known as a mandoline, so called because the rhythmic action of sliding a vegetable up and down its surface & across its inset blade resembles strumming a stringed instrument. Just be sure to get a model that includes a piece that holds the vegetable securely & keeps your fingertips safely clear of the blade; & also handle the device with the caution you'd show with any sharp tool.
Frying today is easier than ever thanks to automatic, thermostat-controlled countertop models that keep the temperature steady, help guard against spattering & even filter out the frying smells that can linger in the kitchen. That said, a good, heavy pot & a deep-frying thermometer will do a fine job, too, as long as you maintain the oil's temperature by keeping an eye on the dial & not overloading the pot with large batches that can drop the temperature too quickly. Too-cool oil gets absorbed by the vegetable, resulting in soggy, greasy chips.
Blue-veined cheeses are widely available in supermarkets today. For a truly patriotic sauce, however, look for a high-quality blue that was made in America. One of my favorites is Maytag blue, from an Iowa company founded in 1941 by a member of the same family that puts its name on kitchen & laundry appliances. Many other domestic varieties exist, too, produced by artisan cheese makers nationwide.
So give this recipe a try on Independence Day -- and watch the fireworks of happiness in your guests' eyes!
Serves 12
Ingredients Chips:
3/4 lb organic Idaho potatoes
vegetable oil for deep-frying
3/4 lb whole raw beets
salt
Ingredients Sauce:
4 ozs unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk
1 lb Maytag blue cheese or other American-made blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. First, prepare the potatoes: Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water. Peel the potatoes & working with a mandoline or a sharp knife, cut them crosswise into uniform wafer-thin slices no more than 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the slices to the bowl & leave them to soak for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low heat & with a wire whisk, stir in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, until thick & bubbling but not yet browned; 2 to 3 minutes. Whisking continuously, slowly pour in the milk. Raise the heat slightly & stirring continuously, bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer & continue stirring until the liquid is thick & creamy. Pour the milk through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean saucepan. Over low heat, stir in 12 ounces of the blue cheese until melted. Remove from the heat, cover & keep warm.
3. Fill an automatic deep fryer with vegetable oil, following the manufacturer's instructions, or fill a heavy pot with at least 4 inches of the oil. Heat to 350ºF on the deep fryer's thermostat or on a deep-frying thermometer.
4. While the oil is heating, drain the sliced potatoes & pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels. Peel the beets & slice them as you did the potatoes, blotting them with paper towels & putting them into a separate bowl.
5. When the oil is hot, fry the potatoes in several batches until golden brown; 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning them. Using the deep-fryer basket or a long-handled wire skimmer, transfer to paper towels to drain, sprinkling with salt. Fry the remaining batches of potatoes.
6. When all the potatoes have been fried, fry the beets in small batches until they've darkened slightly & their edges have curled; 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer each batch to paper towels to drain, sprinkling with salt; the beet chips will become crispier as they cool.
7. While the last batch is frying, gently rewarm the sauce & stir in the chives, reserving 1 teaspoon of the chives for garnish. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
8. Arrange the chips on one or more platters or in shallow bowls. Drizzle the sauce over the chips, if you like, garnishing with the remaining cheese & chives. Or transfer the sauce to a bowl or sauceboat & serve it separately for dipping, garnishing the chips with crumbled cheese & chives.
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