ORECCHIETTE WITH SMOKED POTATO SAUCE, SALSICCIA, DILL AND VIOLET POTATO CHIPS
11.5 oz Orecchiette
4+1/4 oz pork sausage
1.5 oz matured Pecorino cheesed, grated
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1.7 oz leek
7 oz Pachino tomatoes
1 ripe tomato
0.8 tsp capers
0.5 tsp anchovy paste
3 large purple potatoes
3.5 oz potatoes
3.5 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
10 dill stems
3 fl oz milk
2 fl oz cooking cream
1.5 oz butter
Salt and pepper
Lemon
Dill
CREAM OF SMOKED POTATO
Rinse the potatoes slices under running cold water for 4-5 minutes to eliminate part of the starch that otherwise might make the cream thick and sticky. Melt the butter in a small pot and stew the onion and potatoes for about 10 minutes, add the leek sliced and cook again for about 5 minutes. Then add enough water to cover the potatoes, bring to boil and cook on low heat. Add milk and cream, then adjust salt and pepper and finish cooking. Afterwards, blend with a hand-held blender and sieve into another pot using a fine strainer. When it’s time to serve, fold in extra virgin olive oil.
PURPLE POTATO CHIPS
Wash and peel the purple potatoes, cut very thin slices and leave under running water for at least 10-15 minutes, to eliminate as much starch as possible, so they will be crunchy. Fry for 2-3 minutes at 150°C/ 302°F. Drain from the oil on a stack of absorbent kitchen paper.
SAUCE
Slice the garlic and chop the onion and the sausage previously removed from the casing and sauté with extra virgin olive oil in a pan for 8 minutes. Blanch the tomatoes, peel them, cut in half and add to the sausage, flavor with the dill, salt and pepper and cook for a minute. Add the tomato fillets and cook for 5-6 minutes more. When done, flavor with the lemon essence.
Boil the Orecchiette in abundant salted boiling water for 13 minutes, then drain and cook 1 one more minute in the pan with the sauce. Blend with the extra virgin olive oil. Plate the Orecchiette: put the smoked potato cream in a shot glass, set the dill-flavored the potato chips and add a generous sprinkle of aged Pecorino cheese from Sardinia.
CHEF’S TIP
If you have a smoker, you can flavor the potato cream directly inside the pot using a clear foil to seal the aromas of the smoke. Let rest for 15 minutes.
