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Potato Flowers Stuffed with Mushrooms recipe by Ferran Adrià - restaurant El Bulli
Delicate potato flowers with a crispy outer layer, stuffed with succulent mushrooms that provide an explosion of earthy flavors.
vegetarian
oven
appetizer
mushroom
Ingredients
Servings:
4

Ingredients

  • 4 large potatoes Monna Lissa
  • Stuffing
  • Mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoonscream with 35% fat
  • butter
  • chicory chopped
  • salt
  • Port wine and truffle sauce
  • 2 copesPort wine black
  • 2 onions
  • 2 boletesbutter
  • 40 mlconcentrated meat juice (or from a previous roast)
  • 20 mltruffle juice (or the one from cooking the mushrooms)
  • salt and pepper
Nutritional Information

Per Serving (Approx.)

Calories
553 kcal
Protein
5 g
Fat
46 g
Carbohydrates
24 g

Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.

Step-by-step Guide

Preparation

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius to ensure it is at the proper temperature when we insert the ingredients.
  • Slice the vegetables into thin slices, making sure they have an equal thickness for even cooking.
  • Place a large pot on the stove, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and sauté the chopped onion for 5 minutes or until it becomes translucent.
  • Add the chopped garlic to the pot and continue sautéing for 2 more minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
  • Add the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook them for 10 minutes or until they begin to soften, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, stir well, and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste, tasting the sauce to adjust the seasonings if necessary.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Baking the Potatoes

  • Peel the potatoes and, with a knife, shape them into an oval, trying to make them similar in size to cook evenly.
  • Cut and remove the top and bottom caps to obtain a cylinder.
  • On the exterior side of each potato cylinder, make incisions with the knife, ensuring they are uniform and equidistant around the cylinder.
  • Using a corer, hollow out the interior of the cylinder, leaving a base of 1 cm and side walls about 0.5 cm thick, making sure the potatoes maintain their shape.
  • Place the potatoes in a preheated oven at 150ºC and bake for approximately an hour and a half, or until cooked and the tips of the incisions are golden brown.
  • About 10 minutes before finishing the baking, brush the potatoes with a little olive oil using a silicone brush to give them a more golden hue.
  • Remove the potatoes from the oven and set aside until ready to serve.

Prepare the Sauce

  • In a large paella pan, cook the finely chopped onion on low heat with a little butter until it is translucent and tender, approximately for 10 minutes.
  • Once the onion is well softened, add the Port wine and stir well.
  • Continue cooking on low heat until the mixture reduces and becomes thick, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Add the roast juices and mushroom liquid to the pan, stirring to integrate everything.
  • Keep cooking until the mixture reduces by half, maintaining low heat and stirring occasionally, another 15 minutes.
  • Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to eliminate impurities, then season with salt and pepper to taste and add chopped chives. Reserve the sauce until ready to serve.

Prepare the Filling

Potato Flowers Stuffed with Mushrooms recipe by Ferran Adrià - restaurant El Bulli — Prepare the Filling
Prepare the Filling
  • In a pan over low heat, melt a little butter until it bubbles. Add the chopped mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook the mushrooms for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are tender and release their water.
  • Add the cream to the mushrooms and cook on low heat. Stir constantly for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture reaches the consistency of a thick cream. Avoid boiling the cream to prevent curdling. Note: If you prefer, you can stuff the potato with other ingredients like cod brandade, cooked vegetables, etc.

Final Cooking and Presentation

  • Preheat the oven to 200ºC for about 10-15 minutes to ensure it reaches the desired temperature before cooking the potatoes.
  • Fill the potatoes with the mushroom sauce or any other garnish you have previously cooked, making sure each potato is well-stuffed.
  • Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking tray and heat them for 5-7 minutes, or until they are completely hot.
  • Arrange the potatoes on the serving plate and generously drizzle them with the Port wine sauce before serving.
Recommendations & Tricks
  • You can use other fillings with intense flavors, like a mix of cheeses or roasted vegetables, to provide interesting variations to the potato flowers.
  • Potato flowers can also be served without sauce to highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients.
  • Make sure to cut the Monna Lissa potatoes to a similar size to ensure even cooking and maintain texture.
  • When adding the cream, make sure it's at room temperature so that it integrates easily without curdling.
  • When chopping the spring onion (cigolet), do so finely to ensure it incorporates well into the filling.
  • For a more aromatic Port wine sauce with truffle, reduce the Port wine over low heat until it concentrates and the flavors are fully developed.
  • Use concentrated meat juice to add depth and richness to the sauce, warming it slightly before incorporating to blend well.
  • For a bit of crunch, add a touch of butter to the pan before toasting the potato flowers, achieving a crispy texture on the outside while keeping the filling soft and creamy.