Seven Fires

My husband is a biologist and his work takes him to every corner of the globe. Where he doesn't have friends before a trip, he has several by the time he leaves. With all of his hobnobbing, he doesn't spend much time shopping for souvenirs. But, when he goes to Mongolia or South Africa or Bolivia or wherever, he knows that, if he's going to pick up a gift for me, a food-related item would be likely well-received. When he went to Hokkaido a couple of years ago, he brought back the most enchanted box of confections that I could have ever imagined. The candy/pastry-making shop that he got it from was right there, so everything was so fresh. The flavors were generally muted but compelling, the textures were so delicate, and every item was gorgeously packaged. It exuded the essence of perfection.

He came back from Argentina a few weeks ago and brought me a book, Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Peter Kaminsky and Francis Mallmann. I had read a review of it in a cooking magazine a few weeks earlier and was not particularly drawn to it based on that. But then I had the book in my hands and started to look at it one night after things were tidied up well enough and everyone but me was in bed ... and I couldn't stop reading it and looking through it. Sometimes a book can truly transport you, and this is one of those. Now, I am a huge fan of Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford. I have all of their books, and talk about transporting! I will write about them in a post, soon. But their books are ones you dip into when the mood strikes; you don't read them through all at once. Seven Fires drew me through from start to finish in a sitting because it was about one man's passion, his deep love of place (rural Argentina) and the finest version of its culture. Peter Kaminsky's friendship-inspired writing and the evocative photos pull it all together, and it makes for a masterful book.

The book focuses on meat, of course. I am not the most ravenous meat eater in the world, as I have said before, but I can appreciate its allure. And I certainly love to be outdoors, near a well-tended fire, awaiting any well-prepared thing that might be roasting or bubbling over that fire, after a long day of tromping and digging and all the other wonderful outdoor things there are to do. I can just feel it: the sun starts to go down, the warmth that was in the air begins to suck away, and the cool chill draws you closer to the fire. Throw in a frightfully accomplished chef, and it makes for divinity.

While Mallmann clearly directed them, the information on the verso of the title page indicates that the recipes in the book were developed by Donna Gelb and Lucía Soria. Bravo to them, too. They have written down and tested Mallman's recipes beautifully. Aside from what you would expect, such as A perfect steak, how about Burnt ricotta salata, tomatoes and olives, Butternut squash soup with garlic and white wine, Empanadas Mendocinas, Striped bass with olive oil, herb, lemon, and garlic salsa, Stacked ratatouille, or Crunchy roasted potato and arugula salad?

I won't copy the recipe for Una vaca entera. Instead here is one for

Patagonian Potato Galette

I haven't kept count, but I will bet that I have made a million of these. I always serve them under a rib-eye steak and let the warm juices seep into the crispy potatoes. They're good with lamb--in fact, with almost any simple grilled or roasted main course.

In order for the potato slices to stick together they need to retain their starch, so do not rinse them after you slice them--they should go right into the cast iron. They can be made several hours in advance and kept at room temperature.

Serves 4

4 Idaho (baking) potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
1 cup melted Clarified Butter [recipe follows]
Coarse salt

Using a mandoline, slice the unpeeled potatoes 1/16 inch thick (do not rinse); keep the slices of each potato in a stack to prevent them from discoloring.

Heat a chapa or 12-inch cast-iron skillet over a low flame (if you have two skillets, make two galettes at a time). Add 2 tablespoons clarified butter to each skillet. Working quickly, lay down a circle of potato slices around the perimeter of the skillet, with their edges overlapping by about 1/2 inch, angling them slightly up onto the side of the pan, because they will shrink down as they cook. (Do not angle the potato is using a chapa). Continue toward the center of the pan, forming overlapping circles in the same manner until you have filled the pan; use the smaller potato slices toward the center, and cover the gap in the center with a slice. Spoon 2 more tablespoons of clarified butter around the edges of the galette and over the potatoes, making sure to cover the center. Raise the heat to medium-high, place a heavy pan on top of the potatoes to weigh them down and help them stick together, and cook, without moving the potatoes, for 12 minutes; if one side of the galette seems to be browning faster, rotate the pan and/or adjust the heat if necessary.

After 12 minutes, remove the weight and, using two wide spatulas, flip the galette to cook on the other side. If any potato slices fall out of place, tuck them back in. Replace the weight and cook for 7 or 8 more minutes, or until browned on the second side and cooked thoroughly. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with coarse salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Transfer to a heated serving plate and top with a [cooked] rib-eye steak.

If the galettes are prepared in advance, transfer to baking sheets and warm in a 350 degree F oven for a minute or two before serving.


Clarified Butter

The flavor that butter adds to a dish is unique and marvelous. Clarifying butter removes the solids that tend to burn an ruin the taste.

Makes about 3/4 cup

1/2 pound unsalted butter

Slowly melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat; do not stir. Remove from the heat, and carefully spoon off all the foam from the top. Pour the clear liquid butter through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, leaving behind the solids in the pan. Once cool, the clarified butter can be refrigerated for weeks.