Wood-Roasted New Potatoes with Trefoil Cheese and Black Truffle Oil
Joseph Lenn, Blackberry Farm's chef de cuisine, serves this simple but nuanced dish as both a course on tasting menus and an accompaniment to entrées or a family-style side dish. He uses Princess LaRatte, Pontiac, or Kennebec potatoes grown on the farm, but any fingerling variety or red bliss potato will work. If you prefer an aged cheese, Lenn suggests using a microplane to grate Parmigiano Reggiano over the final dish.
Ingredients
- 12 new potatoes approximately golf-ball-size, gently scrubbed to remove dirt
- 1 ounce grapeseed oil available at most grocery stores and specialty foods shops
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces Trefoil cheese sliced thin, or substitute crème fraîche
- 2 tablespoons finely minced chives
- Black truffle oil to taste
Instructions
- Heat a wood, charcoal, or gas grill (Lenn uses a Komodo ceramic barbecue grill) until the coals are glowing and temperature is about 450°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, grapeseed oil, and salt, and toss the potatoes to coat.
- Place the potatoes on the grill and cook until tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the grill, and place on a serving platter. Smash each potato with the back of a spoon, then season with pepper. Place the sliced Trefoil cheese over the top of the potatoes, allowing it to melt slightly. Garnish with chives and a drizzle of truffle oil. Serve immediately.
Photographed by Heather Anne Thomas
Chef Joseph Lenn
Joseph Lenn, executive chef of the Barn, leads his team in providing the FoothillsCuisine for which Blackberry Farm has come to be known. A Tennessee native, Lenn is garnering national attention for his talents in the kitchen. In 2012, Lenn was nominated for a James Beard award for Best Chef Southeast, and was included in the running as one of Food & Wine's The People's Choice Best New Chef: Southeast.
