Go get them and eat them! A new cookbook by New York magazine food editors tells you how to cook them.
BINTJE
WTF IS THAT
A potato. The tiny, smooth-skinned, yellow-fleshed Bintje (pronounced bintchuh) was developed a century ago by a Dutch botanist-schoolteacher who named it for a star pupil.
WHY YOU SHOULD EAT IT
Neither exceptionally starchy nor waxy, it’s a remarkably flavorful French-fry-lover’s potato. Connoisseurs of Belgian frites slice them thick, fry them twice, dip them in mayo, and accept no substitutes.
HERE'S HOW
This is adapted from a dish the chef serves at his newfangled Brooklyn steakhouse St. Anselm.
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ pounds Bintje potatoes, peeled
Pinch of fresh rosemary
1 scallion, chopped
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon rendered bacon or duck fat
½ teaspoon white truffle oil (optional for white-truffle-oil haters)
Handful of chopped parsley
PREPARATION
Cut the potatoes into even pieces or slices, and rinse under cold water. Boil potatoes in a pot of water until fork-tender, and drain. Return potatoes to the pot, and dry over low heat for a couple of minutes. Fold in the rosemary, scallion, garlic, olive oil, and butter; season with salt and pepper; and mash the potatoes, then let cool to room temperature.
In an 8-inch pan, heat the bacon or duck fat. Add the mashed potatoes almost to the lip of the pan, and press down gently with your hand to form a pancake of sorts.
Cook over medium-high heat until a crust forms on the bottom, about 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the potatoes in a pan or invert onto a plate and slide them back into the pan to cook the other side until a crust forms. Plate the potatoes, and sprinkle with truff le oil, if using, and parsley. Serves 4.
SPIGARELLO
WTF IS THAT
An heirloom variety of broccoli rabe.
WHY YOU SHOULD EAT IT
Its flavor is sweet and delicate and less bitter than most broccoli rabe. Like kale, but better.
HERE'S HOW
