Salt-baked Jersey Royals with asparagus, leeks, radishes and sauce gribiche recipe
It may seem extravagant to use expensive sea salt to cook the potatoes, but you can reuse it. The salt crisps the skin and permeates the flesh. If you don’t want the hassle, though, just boil or steam the potatoes instead. I’ve made sauce gribiche many times before – it’s a mayonnaise-style sauce – but never served it with radishes before. They’re made for each other.
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cooking time: 1 hour
SERVES
Four
INGREDIENTS
24 radishes, preferably French breakfast radishes with really perky, fresh leaves
450g Jersey Royals
250g sea salt
24 medium asparagus stalks, woody bases removed
16 baby leeks
For the sauce
2 large eggs
2 tsp Dijon mustard, or as needed
200ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp white-wine vinegar, or as needed
10 gherkins
2 tsp capers, washed and dried (soak them in water for 30 minutes if they’re packed in salt rather than brine)
Handful each of tarragon and parsley leaves, finely chopped
METHOD
Heat the oven to 190C/180C fan/gas mark 5
Clean the radishes carefully, trying not to crush their leaves. Leave the small tails on if they’re not grubby.
Wash the potatoes and pat them dry, but leave whole. Sprinkle a thin layer of salt into a small roasting tin or gratin dish (one in which the potatoes will fit snugly). Nestle the potatoes on this and sprinkle the rest of the salt on top. Bake until tender, but don’t overcook as they will dry out. It should take 30-40 minutes for them to cook through. Remove the potatoes from the salt then cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile make the sauce gribiche. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, drain and cover with cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel the eggs, half them and remove the yolks. Mash the yolks with the mustard until smooth. Start drizzling in the oil a little at a time, just as when you are making mayonnaise. The mixture will thicken as you add the oil. Stir in the vinegar.
Chop the egg whites and gherkins then add this to the sauce along with the capers and herbs. Check the seasoning to see if you need to adjust the amount of vinegar or mustard.
Steam the asparagus and the leeks, cooking the asparagus for about 3 minutes then add the leeks and cooking for another 3 minutes. They should both be tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Take them out of the steamer and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
Brush any excess salt from the potatoes and put them on plates, along with the asparagus and leeks. Add the radishes and a big spoonful of the sauce. Serve immediately.
