David Lebovitz  My Paris Kitchen

This is an incredibly delicious dish. “Brandade de morue – or salt cod and potato purée – is a warm dish of puréed potatoes with de-salted salt cod mixed through with a generous helping of garlic, a few herbs and some cream. It’s served like an appetizer with toast and maybe a green salad. Perfect for the chilly temperatures right now.”

Ingredients:

1 lb salt cod, 2/3 cup olive oil, 6 cloves of garlic peeled and minced, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 large potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into small cubes, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, sea salt or kosher salt (optional), toasted or grilled bread to serve.

Topping:

Toss 2 Tablespoons dried bread crumbs and 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese in a small bowl with a small pour of olive oil – just enough to moisten the crumbs.Set aside.

Rinse the excess salt off the pieces of salt cod and submerge in a bowl. of cold water in the refrigerator for 24 hours, changing the water at least 3 times.

Combine the olive oil, garlic and thyme in a small saucepan and heat until the oil just starts to bubble. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside.

Drain the salt cod and put it and the potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, decrease to a simmer, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the fish and potatoes are tender.

Drain the cod and the potatoes. When cool enough to handle, remove any bones, skin, and tough pieces. Be sure to go through the fish carefully.

Transfer the fish and potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or by hand with a potato masher). Do not use a food processor. It will make the brandade gummy. Remove the thyme from the garlic infused oil and scrape the oil, cream , and black pepper into the potatoes. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Taste for salt.

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Butter a baking dish that will hold all the brandade and spread the mixture in it. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the brandade.

Bake for 20 or more minutes until bubbling hot and nicely browned on top.

Note: Set the pan on a baking sheet.

Note: This recipe can be made using a generous amount of unsalted butter instead of olive oil and 1/4 to 1/2 pound of shredded gruyere cheese instead of the heavy cream. Use a fork to make ridges on top of the potatoes. Bake in oven and then broil for a few minutes to brown on top. This tastes even better the second day. Reheat at 350* for 30 to 45 minutes.