If you’re making this with fully opened portabello mushrooms, take a couple of minutes to scrape away the dark gills with a small spoon. That will keep them from staining the mixture with their ink. If the mushrooms are still closed, you needn’t bother.
6 SERVINGS
1½ |
pounds mixed mushrooms (portabello, crimini, maitake and shiitake) |
3 |
tablespoons butter |
Salt |
|
1 |
garlic clove, minced |
1 |
tablespoon minced fresh parsley |
½ |
cup dry white wine |
6 |
sprigs thyme |
2 |
tablespoons heavy cream |
1½ |
pounds mixed fingerling and small boiling potatoes |
½ |
teaspoon sherry vinegar |
|
Freshly ground pepper |
Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim any hard stems and cut the mushrooms into roughly almond-size pieces. Try to use a mixture of sizes of mushrooms so that you can get a diversity of shapes. The small ones can be left whole, those that are a little bigger can be cut in half, and so on.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the foam subsides and the butter turns a light hazelnut color. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, cover tightly and cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to glisten and give up their moisture, about 3 minutes. Remove the cover, add the garlic and parsley, raise the heat to high and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms are richly aromatic and soft but not flaccid, about 3 minutes.
Empty the mushrooms into a bowl and add the white wine to the skillet. Cook over high heat until it reduces to a syrup, about 2 minutes. Strip the leaves from the thyme between your finger and thumbnail and add them to the syrup along with the cream. Cook, stirring, until smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the sauce, toss to coat well and set aside.
Cut the potatoes into ½-inch pieces and steam in a tightly covered pot over rapidly boiling water until just tender, about 15 minutes.
Warm the mushroom mixture over medium heat and add the potatoes as soon as they are done. Do not let them cool, or they won’t absorb the flavors. Add the sherry vinegar and stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (The dish can be prepared to this point up to 1 hour in advance.)
Warm the mixture over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and stir to mix well. Serve.