Serves 6
A cook named Josh was working with us for about a week when he told us a story about André Soltner, formerly the chef at Lutèce, an iconic French restaurant in New York City. Soltner went on to become a chef-instructor at The French Culinary Institute in New York City. One day Josh asked him about carving unbroken potato chains for a dish because he thought it would add to the experience. Soltner told Josh that making potato chains in a restaurant wouldn’t work because it took too many steps and was a waste of time. He said to focus on learning solid techniques and not get distracted by things like potato chains. But eventually Josh wound up at Moto and showed me his chains and said, “We should put these on the menu tonight—we can make 80 of them.” We did and it became a staple on the menu. Vegetarians especially appreciated them because it made their meals feel more festive. We got to the point where our executive chef Richie Farina was so good at whittling chains that he could make a chain of these in 90 seconds flat.
This dish is all about winter flavors. The deep-fried sweet potato chain is paired with sweet potato and pear purees and a chunk of tender, juicy veal breast. It’s eye catching, comforting, and delicious.
500 grams sweet potato, peeled and diced
500 grams water
40 grams light brown sugar
30 grams unsalted butter
3 grams ground cinnamon
3 grams ground nutmeg
1 gram salt
450 grams red pear, peeled and diced
75 grams unsalted butter, diced
45 grams salt
500 grams veal bones
30 grams canola oil
100 grams carrot, cut in large dice
100 grams onion, cut in large dice
50 grams celery, cut in large dice
16 grams tomato paste
2000 grams water
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 thyme sprigs
12 black peppercorns
500 grams veal breast
10 grams salt
30 grams canola oil for searing, divided
100 grams onion, diced
25 grams garlic, smashed
200 grams Veal Stock
20 grams whole milk
5 grams thyme leaves
3 sweet potatoes
10 grams salt
1700 grams (2 quarts) canola oil, for frying
20 grams tat soi
Sous vide circulator
Vacuum sealer
Combine diced sweet potatoes, water, and salt in a medium saucepot and set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes and their liquid to a blender and add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Puree on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and keep warm in a small saucepot until ready to plate. Alternatively, the Sweet Potato Puree may be cooled and reserved in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 2 days.
Preheat a circulating water bath to 175°F.
Place the diced pears and butter in a vacuum bag, then seal in a vacuum machine on the highest setting. Cook the pears in the circulating water bath for 1 hour. Pour the contents of the bag into a blender and puree for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Season with salt to taste and keep warm in a small saucepot until ready to serve. Alternatively, the Pear Puree may be cooled and reserved in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 2 days.
Bring a large stockpot full of water to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and add the veal bones to the pot. Cover and let the bones steep for 20 minutes to pull out some of the impurities.
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Remove the bones from the water, rinse, and pat dry. Put the bones on a sheet pan and roast for 1 hour. While the bones are roasting, set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and, once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are aromatic and tender. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer the cooked vegetables to a large stockpot. Remove the bones from the oven and add to the stockpot along with the water, garlic, thyme, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 hours, skimming occasionally as needed. Use a
spider or a slotted spoon to scoop out the bones and vegetables and then strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a stainless-steel container. Use immediately or prepare an ice bath and chill the stock before refrigerating. The stock may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 6 months.
Preheat a circulating water bath to 180°F.
Use a boning knife to remove the bones from the veal breast. Season the veal with the salt and put in a large vacuum bag. Put 15 grams of the canola oil in a small sauté pan set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and reduce the heat to low. Sweat the vegetables for 3 minutes, until tender and translucent. Transfer the aromatics to the vacuum bag with the veal breast. Add the veal stock, milk, and thyme leaves. Seal in a vacuum machine on the highest setting. Cook in the circulating water bath for 6 hours.
Remove the bag from the hot water bath and let the veal cool to room temperature. Remove the veal breast from the bag and portion into six 75-gram servings. Sear immediately or reserve in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, up to 3 days. When ready to serve, put the remaining 15 grams canola oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sear the veal breast for 1 to 2 minutes on each side so that it is a deep golden brown and hot throughout. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Slice a large sweet potato lengthwise into 2 or 3 long, flat planks about ¾ inch thick. Place the sweet potato planks into a vacuum bag, seal, and freeze for 3 to 4 hours. The freezing process will denature the sweet potato flesh and make it flexible.
Preheat a deep fat fryer or pot of oil on the stove to 300°F.
Thaw the sweet potato planks and lay them out flat on a cutting board. Using a cardboard cutter blade or paring knife, cut 5 equally-spaced incisions in the sweet potato, being careful not to cut more than halfway through the potato plank. Then, following the method shown in the photographs on here, carve the rest of the chain.
Blanch the chain in the oil for 1 minute. Remove from the oil and increase the heat to 350°F. Fry the Sweet Potato Chains until crispy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, season with salt, and keep warm until ready to plate.
Put a 40-gram dollop of Pear Puree on each plate, place the tip of a spoon in the center of the puree, and drag it across the plate in a line to make a swoosh. Put a 40-gram dollop of Sweet Potato Puree on the plate and make another swoosh. Put the Sweet Potato Chain on the Sweet Potato Puree. Place the Veal Breast on the plate and garnish with a few leaves of tat soi. Repeat with the 5 remaining plates and serve.