Indulgent and Simple Potato Classics
My vegan take on Gnocchi, Pommes Dauphinoise, Spanish Tortilla, and Rösti
There’s something mystical that happens whenever I harvest a fruit or vegetable that I grew.
It’s more than being flooded with boyhood memories of unearthing the first radish I grew and immediately popping it into my mouth. It’s more a connection to earth – a feeling I’ve been plugged into the vast and often unseen world. It’s as if the earth was smiling and presenting me with gifts she’s been tending to during the past few months...gifts I gratefully accept with open arms and dirt-caked hands.
I felt this mystical bond earlier this week while plucking the first potatoes that began to emerge from their shallow location near the plant’s root system. The first potato was a large red Desirée. It was perfectly oval and slightly larger than medium-sized. I plunged my hand into the moist, soft soil to see if I could locate more tubers. It didn’t take me long to find another slightly smaller potato. I pulled out a heart-shaped Desirée without allowing the symbolism to go unnoticed. Within minutes, I gathered enough fresh potatoes for an evening meal – something simple and made featuring whatever else I could harvest in the garden. We decided on steamed potatoes with one or two spoonfuls of a simple pesto made from basil leaves, arugula, and chives.
It was delicious. We felt nurtured and taken care of by nature.
The beginning of potato season sparks my creative urges. I always begin with the classics – recipes I learned and perfected while working in high-end restaurants in Italy, France, and Switzerland. There’s Potato Gnocchi, which I learned from Angelo while working in Liguria. He taught me the secrets of making exceptionally light gnocchi. Then there’s the classic Pommes Dauphinoise – a recipe I had to make repeatedly during my time in Chambery in southeastern France – an hour’s drive from Dauphine. And Rösti, a national dish of Switzerland, and a recipe I mastered while under the tutelage of Peter Brunner – a top Swiss chef during the early 2000s.
Of course, the original techniques I learned were not vegan; they all contained significant amounts of butter, cream, milk, or eggs (often all). That’s frequently the default with anything containing potatoes... especially throughout Europe.
Of course, there are plant-based variations for all of these classics, and I’ve been working on my vegan variations for several years. My results are very close to the original versions, albeit much healthier without the added animal-based fats, margarine (including vegan butter), or tropical fats.
The techniques I use to produce the recipes are simple to learn and execute. Making gnocchi takes practice to develop the right consistency, but most people get it after one or two attempts. The only prerequisite for making my vegan versions of Dauphinoise, Tortilla, or Rösti is patience—one of the best techniques to learn and excel at in any kitchen.
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Potato Gnocchi
I first ate potato gnocchi during a trip to Liguria years ago – long before I became a professional chef. These gnocchi set a high standard in my mind. They were exceptionally light, tasted like potato, and held enough sauce on each gnocchi to form a delicious tandem.
My next gnocchi experience in a restaurant was not as pleasant. These were dense, chewy, and tasted of chalk. The heavy sauce fell from the gnocchi in clumps that splattered loudly on my plate. This was not a pleasing memory…and I hope I didn’t pay much for the failed gnocchi incident.
Fortunately, I learned the secrets of making delicious gnocchi during my stint as a professional cook in a Michelin-rated restaurant in the Italian region of Liguria:
The choice of potato is critical. It must be a starchy (mealy) variety, mainly used for baking. I select large potatoes because they are easier to peel and, I think, a bit tastier.
Steaming the potatoes whole and in their jackets (skin) produces a fluffy puree that helps create light gnocchi.
Cook the potatoes until their skins begin to crack and split open. Undercooking the potatoes creates a heavy and lumpy consistency.
Peel cooked potatoes while they are still hot – use a fork to hold the potatoes if they are too hot to hold onto.
Work fast and mash the potatoes while they are still warm. Allow the mashed potatoes to sit on a floured work surface to release steam, then begin working in your ingredients.
Work with light fingers and mix long enough to create a smooth texture when you form the dough into a log. Avoid mixing the potatoes and flour too long; prolonged mixing creates gluten and a chewy texture when cooked.
Make some test gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes in a small pot of simmering salt water. If they hold together, then bingo—you’ve made a good round! But this rarely happens because flour is never the same. You may need to work in more flour to bind them or starch if they taste too heavy. Finish making the gnocchi once you are satisfied, but don’t cook them immediately. Relaxing the gnocchi will yield a lighter texture.
Simple, right? Making light gnocchi is challenging, but I like it because it involves direct contact with just a few ingredients, and you can feel what it’s like to cook rather than just put something together.
Pommes Dauphinoise
Most potato gratin recipes get their name from the golden crust that forms on the surface of a dish when it is cooked in a hot oven. The crust is usually formed from grated cheese, breadcrumbs, or eggs. A traditional Dauphinois is made simply with potatoes and cream, so the challenge of making it wholly plant-based relies entirely on selecting the correct replacement for the cream.
I tried dozens of variations, which led to a disappointing dish that tasted too sweet…despite using unsweetened, non-dairy milk. I finally decided to combine oat cream and soy milk, which gave the dish the correct thickness and did not taste overly sweet.
Gratins can be made in any dish. I like using a heavy cast iron pan because the gratin doesn’t stick to the surface and looks rustic and cool. To promote even cooking, it is important that the potatoes have an even thickness. I suggest using a slicer (like a mandolin) to cut the potatoes unless you have excellent knife skills.
Now, about those potatoes… The ones used in France are of the waxy variety (the ones that hold their shape when cooking and not ones typically used for baking or making purees). These are the ones you are after and may have names like Red Bliss, La Ratte, or Yukon Gold.
Spanish Tortilla…A Vegan Version
Most people associate tortilla with the flatbread made with flour or corn that is so ubiquitous to Mexican or Central American cooking…except the Spanish.
I was one of those ignorant people who made the false association until a visit to Tenerife years ago permanently changed my belief and association.
A Spanish tortilla (Tortilla da Patatas) differs entirely from the wrap commonly used to create tacos. It is like an onion-flavored crust-less quiche or something similar to an omelette. A traditional Spanish tortilla is served as a light meal with a salad or as a tapas offering. In its purest form, the tortilla has potatoes, onions, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, and seasoning. It’s delicious…but it can also be a problem if you follow a vegan lifestyle.
My version creates the creamy sensation that an egg version has, binding the potatoes perfectly and creating a set tortilla that is not too dry and oozes slightly in the middle. Honestly, you could serve this tortilla to anyone, and they would find it difficult to believe it is vegan!
Potato Rösti
Rösti is serious business throughout the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. Most people have strong opinions about how to prepare this simple dish—what potato variety to use, whether to use raw or precooked potatoes, what type of pan to use and, of course, the fat. I’ve learned to keep my opinions to myself and just make the rösti the way I learned while working at a top Zürich restaurant.
For me, the ideal rösti should be no thicker than 2 cm (about one inch). Its exterior should be crispy and golden, with a moist and soft interior—not too soft like mashed potatoes.
To achieve these goals, I begin with a potato classified as mostly-waxy, although any waxy variety will work. Mealy potatoes are great for purees or baking because they tend to fall apart when heat penetrates their interior, creating a soft and mushy consistency, which is not what I want in rösti. Waxy varieties tend to hold their shape much longer, which gives the rösti a distinctive look, a crispy exterior, and a textured, soft interior.
I learned to partially pre-cook the potatoes about 4-6 hours before—or even a day in advance. The cold converts the uncooked starches in the potato to sugars, helping create a crispy and golden exterior. Cold potatoes are also easier to grate than warm potatoes.
I use extra virgin olive oil to cook the rösti instead of the traditional butter or lard. Having tasted both versions in my life, I find the taste is much cleaner when using oil instead of butter or lard.
More Potato Recipe Ideas
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Thanks for sharing your gnocchi secrets, Jack. I have always wanted to prepare them myself, but never got into action due to a busy life. You convinced me to give it a chance :) Btw, gnocchi from self-cultivated potatoes must be fabulous. I have to seed them when the right time comes.
Your description of being plugged into a vast and unseen world is spot on, Jack. I'm not much of a gardener but my daughter is (or was until she got too busy with grad school). During the pandemic she planted a wonderful vegetable garden, including potatoes. When she pulled them out of the ground, we were all elated. They tasted amazing!