Fiona's Gubbeen Hasselback Bake
When Poppy O’Toole (Poppy Cooks) launched her latest book, “The Potato Book” I thought there was no better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by sharing one of her fabulous new recipes, while incorporating and celebrating another brilliant woman, Giana Ferguson, the producer of Gubbeen.
Replacing the Cheddar in Poppy’s recipe for Gubbeen, with its savoury soft washed rind, brings an added milky meatiness which compliments the smoked paprika and nuttiness all round. It also melts brilliantly!
Serve with a watercress salad a pint (or two) of a rather well known stout and lots of friends. Sliánte!
INGREDIENTS (serves 6)
6 large Maris Piper potatoes
Olive oil
400 ml double cream
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano San Pietro
Small bunch of chives, chopped, plus extra to serve
1 tsp smoked paprika
1tsp garlic granules
1 tsp onion granules
150g Gubbeen, cut into thick slices, plus an extra handful of crumbled Gubbeen for topping
50g butter, chilled and thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
METHOD
Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/325°F/Gas 3
One potato at a time, lay the handles of two wooden spoons either side of the potato, then make vertical cuts all along the length so that you cut almost through, but the spoon handles stop you cutting through completely (a fully sliced, collapsed potato is definitely not what we're looking for). Chopsticks will do a good job of this, if you have them.
Place the potatoes snugly in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, the roast for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are just starting to brown.
Meanwhile, in a jug, mix together the cream, parmesan, chives, smoked paprika, garlic granules and onion granules with a pinch of each salt and pepper to reason. Set aside for later.
When the potatoes have roasted, remove the dish from the oven. Turn the oven down to 170°C/150°C fan, and leave the potatoes until they are cool enough to handle. Alternate Gubbeen slices and butter into the cuts in each hasselback and pour the cream and parmesan mixture around the potatoes in the baking dish - try not to get it over the top of the spuds or you won't have a crispy finish.
Sprinkle over more Gubbeen and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the Gubbeen is golden brown. Top with a few extra chopped chives, if you fancy!
