flipHerring with Potatoes in Oil
Herring with Potatoes in Oil
Why this dish? The quintessential counter dish, inexpensive and hearty, served at all hours in the brasseries of the Boulevard and Montparnasse where Anouilh mingled with actors and stage managers between rehearsals.
Fillets of mild smoked herring long marinated in oil with carrot and onion rounds, served warm over tender potatoes dressed with a splash of white wine.
You see, it was the end-of-rehearsal dish, when the Atelier hall still smelled of dust and makeup. We'd set the plate on the zinc, the herring glistening in its oil, and spear a warm potato with the fork while talking about the third act that wasn't working. My mother already let the herrings take the oil for three days, with bay leaf and peppercorns—patience, she said, makes the marinade as it makes good plays. Nothing more than a little white wine over the still-warm potatoes, and it was done.
- •Mild smoked herring fillets — a generous handful per person (salty and smoky base)
- •Peanut or sunflower oil — enough to cover (marinade)
- •Carrot and onion — in thin rounds (marinade aromatics)
- •Bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns — a few (flavoring)
- •Firm potatoes — as needed (tender support)
- •Dry white wine — a splash (potato dressing)
Herring with Potatoes in Oil
Fillets of mild smoked herring long marinated in oil with carrot and onion rounds, served warm over tender potatoes dressed with a splash of white wine.
Why this dish? The quintessential counter dish, inexpensive and hearty, served at all hours in the brasseries of the Boulevard and Montparnasse where Anouilh mingled with actors and stage managers between rehearsals.
You see, it was the end-of-rehearsal dish, when the Atelier hall still smelled of dust and makeup. We'd set the plate on the zinc, the herring glistening in its oil, and spear a warm potato with the fork while talking about the third act that wasn't working. My mother already let the herrings take the oil for three days, with bay leaf and peppercorns—patience, she said, makes the marinade as it makes good plays. Nothing more than a little white wine over the still-warm potatoes, and it was done.
Ingredients (period version)
- Mild smoked herring fillets — a generous handful per person (salty and smoky base)
- Peanut or sunflower oil — enough to cover (marinade)
- Carrot and onion — in thin rounds (marinade aromatics)
- Bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns — a few (flavoring)
- Firm potatoes — as needed (tender support)
- Dry white wine — a splash (potato dressing)
Ingredients
- Mild smoked herring fillets — 300 g (salty and smoky base)
- Neutral oil — 25 cl (marinade)
- Carrot — 1, in rounds (aromatic)
- Onion — 1, sliced (aromatic)
- Bay leaf — 2 leaves (flavoring)
- Peppercorns — 1 tsp (flavoring)
- Firm waxy potatoes (Charlotte) — 500 g (tender support)
- Dry white wine — 3 tbsp (dressing)
- Flat-leaf parsley — a few sprigs (finishing)
Method
- Place the herring fillets in a shallow dish with carrot, onion, bay leaf, and pepper; cover with oil and marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
- Cook the potatoes in their skins, peel while warm, and slice into rounds.
- Drizzle the still-warm potatoes with white wine and a little of the marinade oil; lightly salt.
- Arrange the herrings on the warm potatoes, scatter with marinated carrot rounds and parsley.
- Serve at room temperature, never chilled.
How it was made : In pre-war brasseries, herrings marinated in large terrines on the cold buffet and were sold by the fillet, accompanied by warm potatoes: a dish for workers and impecunious artists, later becoming a counter classic.
The contemporary twist : A touch of crème fraîche and a few pink peppercorns on top, and you move from the brasserie counter to the contemporary bistro plate.
Sources : Curnonsky, La France gastronomique · Robert Courtine (La Reynière), gastronomic columns
Jean Anouilh · Charactorium
