MARCH 2019 95
1 / 4 tsp. medium-grind sea salt
1 / 8 tsp. black pepper
- Stir together miso, oil, sugar, and fish
pepper flakes in a small bowl. Rub mixture
all over pork shoulder. Using kitchen
twine, tie pork shoulder to shape into a
uniform size. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap,
and chill 8 hours or overnight. - Preheat oven to 300°F. Arrange onion
slices in a single layer in a large cast-iron
skillet. Unwrap pork shoulder; place on
top of onions. Tent pork with a piece of
parchment paper; cover with aluminum
foil. Roast 2 hours. Uncover pork, and
roast until internal temperature registers
150°F, about 30 minutes. - Toss apples with butter, salt, and black
pepper. Scatter apples around pork, and
roast until a thermometer inserted in
pork registers 180°F and apples are crisp-
tender, about 45 minutes, stirring apples
halfway through roasting time. (Tent pork
with another piece of foil if meat is getting
too dark.) Transfer pork to a cutting
board, and let rest 10 minutes before slic-
ing. Serve pork with apples and onions.
WINE Savory, substantial Chilean red:
2016 Montes Alpha Syrah
Potato Soup with Sage Butter
and Rye Crumbs
PHOTO P. 83
ACTIVE 25 MIN; TOTAL 40 MIN; SERVES 4
Sourdough rye crumbs make a great con-
trast to this creamy riff on vichyssoise.
Verjus, made from the juice of unripened
wine grapes, is less tart than vinegar.
Gjerde uses it in his restaurants in place of
citrus juice in everything from dressings to
cocktails. Look for it online or in gourmet
grocery stores.
2 (2^1 / 2 -oz.) 100% rye bread slices,
crumbled into^1 /^4 -inch pieces
3 cups water
31 / 2 tsp. medium-grind sea salt, divided
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and
cut into^3 / 4 -inch pieces
4 cups sliced leek bulbs (from 4 large
leeks)
2 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves
1 cup high-quality unsalted butter
(8 oz.), softened
1 tsp. white verjus
1 / 2 cup heavy cream (optional)
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread bread
pieces in a single layer on a rimmed bak-
ing sheet. Bake in preheated oven until
dry and crispy, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Bring 3 cups water and 2^3 / 4 teaspoons
salt to a boil in a large saucepan over
high. Add potatoes and leeks, and return
to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low;
cover and simmer until tender, about 30
minutes. - While soup simmers, pulse sage in a
food processor until finely chopped,
about 10 times. Add butter, verjus, and
remaining^3 / 4 teaspoon salt. Process until
smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to
scrape down sides as needed. - When soup has finished simmering,
transfer to a blender. Secure lid on
blender, and remove center piece of lid to
allow steam to escape. Place a clean
kitchen towel over opening. Process until
smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in heavy
cream, if desired. - Sprinkle bowls of soup evenly with rye
crumbs, and top with about 2 teaspoons
sage butter each, reserving remaining
sage butter for another use.
WINE Earthy, rich Alsace Pinot Blanc:
2016 Domaines Schlumberger Les
Princes Abbés
Salted Oyster Caesar Dressing
with Chicories
PHOTO P. 84
TOTAL 10 MIN; SERVES 8
Dried oysters bring the umami of ancho-
vies without the fishiness in this mid-
Atlantic take on the Caesar salad. Look
for them at Asian grocery stores or
online; they freeze well, so keep extra
around to add flavor to soups and sauces.
1 / 4 oz. dried oysters (about 5 oysters)
3 Tbsp. white verjus
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 / 4 tsp. medium-grind sea salt
1 / 4 cup sunflower oil
1 lb. mixed chicories (such as frisée,
treviso, radicchio, Belgian endive,
or escarole), trimmed and leaves
separated
Combine oysters, verjus, mustard,
garlic, and salt in a blender. Process until
finely chopped, about 30 seconds, stop-
ping to scrape down sides of blender as
needed. With blender running, remove
center piece of lid, and gradually add
oil in a slow, steady stream, processing
until dressing is emulsified. Arrange
chicories on a serving platter, and drizzle
with dressing.
Honey-Glazed Sweet Potato
Steaks with Brussels Sprouts
PHOTO P. 87
ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 45 MIN; SERVES 2
Be sure to use a cast-iron skillet for this
recipe; it maintains heat and will result in
beautifully caramelized honey and well-
cooked brussels sprouts.
1 (1-lb.) Hayman or O’Henry sweet
potato, peeled
1 Tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
11 / 2 tsp. medium-grind sea salt,
divided
1 / 2 tsp. ground coriander
1 / 4 tsp. fish pepper flakes or crushed
red pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 /^2 lb. large brussels sprouts, halved
1 / 4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. clover honey
(such as H.T. Krantz), divided
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut sweet
potato lengthwise into^1 / 2 -inch-thick
slabs. Place the 2 center-cut potato slabs
on a cutting board; reserve remaining
sweet potato pieces for another use.
Score 1 side of each slab in an^1 / 8 -inch-
deep diamond pattern. Stir together gin-
ger, 1 teaspoon salt, coriander, and fish
pepper flakes in a small bowl. Rub mix-
ture evenly on sweet potato slabs. - Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high
until smoking, about 3 minutes. Add oil,
and swirl to coat bottom of skillet. Add
sweet potatoes, scored side down, and
cook until bottoms are golden brown,
about 1 minute. Flip and arrange brus-
sels sprouts, cut sides down, in a single
layer around sweet potatoes. Drizzle
with 2 tablespoons honey; transfer skil-
let to preheated oven. Roast until
sprouts are tender and cut sides are car-
amelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove
sprouts from skillet, and sprinkle with^1 / 4
teaspoon salt. Return skillet to oven;
roast at 400°F until sweet potatoes are
tender, 5 to 8 minutes. - Meanwhile, carefully separate brus-
sels sprouts leaves, trimming stem ends
if needed. Set aside. - Remove skillet from oven, and drizzle
sweet potatoes with remaining^1 / 4 cup
honey. Tilt skillet, and baste sweet pota-
toes until honey caramelizes and sweet
potatoes are glazed, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer sweet potato steaks to serving
plates. Sprinkle with remaining^1 / 4 tea-
spoon salt, and drizzle with remaining
caramelized honey in skillet. Top with
brussels sprout leaves.