The other day we cooked garlic confit – which is whole garlic cloves (slowly cooked in a generous mixture of canola and extra virgin olive oil) to a buttery consistency. The pot of garlic sat next to the stove cooling off a bit before it was going to be pureed and its aroma was pleasant. Garlic puree is one of the staples for seasoning next to sea salt and black butcher pepper in many of my recipes. It’s sweet and rich at the same time and boosts the flavor in general. I make sure to poach garlic long and slow in the oil to make the pungency of raw garlic disappear otherwise it tends to overtake the palette of flavors.
Meat & potato kinda meal
It just happened that we had prepared staff meal the day we prepared braised beef shoulder and mashed potatoes and some roasted carrots. The beef had a fork tender consistency and did not need a knife for cutting. The six hour cooking time had definitely shown off. It seemed a suitable meal especially on a day it just had started to snow and the wind made the temperature seem North Pole like.
The carrots were doused in sweet paprika and roasted underneath the beef for an hour. The beef roast dripping juices added that special something to the carrots. The mashed potatoes were kept simple. It had a chunky texture and was enriched with a noticeable amount of extra virgin olive oil. We have an excess of EVO in the kitchen from a tasting of olive oils for some of our upcoming spring vegetable dishes, which came in handy for the mashed potatoes.
Biting my tongue…
When lunchtime came for us I was a bit shocked when I saw a
new cook reach with a ladle into the caldron of the oil-poached garlic and pour
a generous portion right over his mashed potatoes. I had to bite my tongue a bit
and hold back not to say something, and I’m thinking – dude don’t get fresh
your first day at work in a new kitchen reaching into a pot which is not
destined to be consumed by the staff – a matter of respect. His plate looked so
good though that he inspired me to do the same.
Certainly I was not disappointed. It was one of those moments where it
made me close my eyes for enjoyment and day dream about the deliciousness in my
mouth – salty, juicy, beef, dripping soaked sweet carrots coins, and here comes
the kicker wonderful, olive oil-creamed mashed potatoes covered with a
satisfying richness of buttery garlic cloves – a thorough delight.
I’m a little bit hooked and have been cooking it the third time at home already since. I suggest serving the following recipe with slowly cooked meat such as braises with plenty of gravy.
Mashed potatoes studded
with Garlic Confit
(recipe makes four side portions)
2 pounds Yukon gold, or russet potatoes
1 teaspoon salt, for the potato cooking water
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 branch rosemary, about 5-inch long
2 heads garlic
½ cup canola oil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
black pepper from a mill
sea salt, to taste
- Break the garlic heads apart so that all cloves
are separated. In a small saucepot bring 1 quart of water to boil and cook the
cloves for 30 seconds. The cloves will be easy to peel that way. Once all
garlic cloves are peeled combine the oils and garlic cloves in a small
saucepot. Cover the saucepot with a tight fitting lid and cook the mixture on low
heat setting for 30 – 45 minutes or until the cloves are soft in the center
when pierced with a knife. Strain garlic cloves in a colander and reserve the
oil.
- Rinse potatoes with water. In a gallon-sized pot combine potatoes, cumin, salt and rosemary then bring to boil on high heat setting. Continue to cook potatoes on low heat setting until they are soft in the middle when pierced with a knife. Strain potatoes into a colander and let the steam escape for 10 minutes. Peel potatoes with a small paring knife and put them into a pot and add salt, pepper and ½ of the oil from the garlic cooking. Over low heat setting incorporate all ingredients with a table fork then add the rest of the oil a little bit at the time continuously mixing with the fork.
- Serve the potatoes piping hot and sprinkle with warm garlic cloves.
Chef’s Tip: The garlic puree is a pantry essential and keeps well for a week as long it is covered and refrigerated. Simply double the amount in the recipe and store half of it!
In fact I can hardly think of a dish I would not use garlic oil in, but here are some definite uses:
-
brush baguette with garlic oil and toast or
grill it
-
dip bread into garlic oil instead of the usual olive
oil – tastes great next to a charcuterie and cheese plate
-
switch garlic confit from the raw garlic in
guacamole – this will take your guacamole to the next level
-
enrich pasta dishes with the garlic oil instead
of olive oil or butter
