Baked Potatoes With White Beans and Bearnaise
Serves 4.
Note: Use pasteurized eggs because these are not cooked in the sauce. For a more seasonal variation of the green vegetable used here (asparagus), try broccoli or green beans. From "Smashed, Mashed, Boiled and Baked —and Fried, Too!" by Raghavan Iyer.
For the potatoes:
• Coarse sea or kosher salt
• 4 large russet potatoes (each about 1 lb.)
• 1/2 c. clarified butter or 8 tbsp. (1 stick) whole unsalted butter (see directions below)
• 1 c. finely chopped onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (15-oz.) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Tips from 8 oz. fresh asparagus, chopped into 1/4-in. pieces (see Note)
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
For the béarnaise sauce:
• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 1/4 c. finely chopped shallots
• 2 pasteurized egg yolks, slightly beaten (see Note)
•2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon
•1 tsp. coarsely cracked black pepper
Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread a thick layer of salt on a large plate.
Scrub the potatoes well under running water. While they are still wet, pierce them in multiple spots with a fork to enable them to vent steam as they bake. Cake each damp potato all over with the salt, forming a white-speckled blanket. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until tender, about 1 hour.
As potatoes bake, melt 2 tablespoons clarified butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it appears to shimmer, stir-fry onion and garlic until they become light brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, asparagus, coriander, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir.
Lower heat to medium-low, cover pan and allow the asparagus to steam, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm, 5 to 7 minutes. Keep the cover on after you have turned off the burner so the filling stays warm.
To make the bearnaise, bring the vinegar, wine and shallots to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes. Allow reduction to cool (it should be just warm to the touch but not hot), 2 to 4 minutes. Pour this into a blender jar and add the egg yolks. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons clarified butter. With the blender running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the hot butter. This creates the emulsion needed to make a smooth sauce. Pour and scrape the sauce into a small bowl. Fold in the tarragon and the peppercorns. Keep the sauce near the stove so it stays warm.
Once potatoes are tender, transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle. Slice off a 1/4-inch-thick piece from top along the length of each potato. (They're for nibbling — the cook's bonus as you finish the dish!)
With a teaspoon, scoop out as much of insides as you can and stir them into the asparagus and beans. Leave a thin layer of flesh on the bottom of each potato and try not to bore a hole through the skin (leave about a 1/4-inch-thick layer of potato around the inside of the skin to avoid any possibility of leaks.)
Fill each potato with as much filling as you can (mound it, if necessary, to use it all), pour the bearnaise sauce over each and serve immediately. The caked-on salt on the surface provides a delectable layer, rounding out the whole experience in one well-balanced mouthful at a time.
To clarify butter: Melt unsalted butter over low heat and allow milk solids to separate and sink to the bottom. Strain through cheesecloth or fine-mesh sieve. Discard the milk solids.