Shirred Eggs with White Truffles and Fingerling Potatoes
“What grows together goes together,” to quote Patricia Wells, and the combinations of eggs with truffles and potatoes are legendary in the culinary traditions of the European regions where they are found. Chef Wayne Nish combined white truffles with baby potatoes to create an elegant white truffle dish for his restaurant, March. This recipe uses not only white truffles and white truffle oil, but Fleur de Sel, the legendary hand-harvested sea salt, and La Ratte potatoes, which are only the size of a fingernail -- and quartered to boot! Truffles, truffle oil, and Fleur de Sel may be found in gourmet stores; do the best you can to find tiny baby new potatoes.
Ingredients
- For each serving
- Sweet Butter - 4 ounces (1 stick)
- Fleur de Sel - pinch
- La Ratte potatoes - 4 or 5 very small, each the size of a fingernail, quartered
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Organic Egg - 1 very fresh, extra large
- Fleur de Sel - a few grains
- White Truffle Oil - 1/2 teaspoon
- White Truffle - 1/2 ounce
- Whole Fresh Herbs - 1 tablespoon, mixed (chervil, chives, parsley, tarragon, and basil)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500 F, or its highest setting.
On top of the stove, in a small saucepan, melt the butter. Season with the pinch of salt and gently poach the potato pieces for a few minutes until tender. Do not brown. Drain and keep warm.
In a cold small blini pan or saute pan (4-1/2-inch diameter), pour in the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom and sides. Crack the egg open into the pan and bake in the hot oven for 2 minutes, or just until set.
Remove the egg with a slotted spatula and slide onto a warmed small found serving dish. Garnish with the drained potatoes. Season with a few grains of salt. Drizzle the truffle oil over the plate. Shave the truffle over the egg and potatoes in thin slices. Garnish with the herbs and serve immediately.
