Harry's Smoked Mackerel Dauphinoise

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Harry Cobean

Executive Chef
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
2,913
Location
Manchester UK
potatoes dauphinoise or dauphinoise potatoes,whichever,is a dish like paella,bouillabaise,irish stew & lancashire hot pot to name but four:ermm:there are 1000's of variations,everyone claims to cook the authentic/original dish & nobody does,'cos nobody knows..every place i've eaten it in france has their own take on it....this is mine,which is a variation on a nigel slater recipe:
HARRY'S SMOKED MACKEREL POTATOES DAUPHINOISE....pure comfort...this dish will put it's arms around you & give you a huge hug!i won't give precise measurements as they will vary depending on number of diners:
1)potatoes,the biggest debate in dauphinoise.i use maris piper,great allrounder boils,steams,mashes,roasts,bakes,fries & fab flavour....your choice.
2)double(heavy)cream & whole(4%)milk..3 parts cream to 2 parts milk
3)bay leaf...one is enough for up to 4 servings
4)wholegrain mustard...1 tbls is enough for 2-4 servings depending on how much you like mustard
5)1 tbls gruyere cheese-optional...i like it...your choice add it/leave it out
6)ground black pepper...percy pepper & mavis mackerel are lovers
7)smoked mackerel,skin removed,i like lots...i used cornish hickory smoked
THE METHOD:
a)peel & slice potatoes about the thickness of a shiny british pound
b)rinse sliced spuds in several changes of water then pat dry...spuds MUST be dry
c)lightly butter cooking dish
d)mix milk,cream.mustard,pepper & cheese
e)taste mackerel for saltiness...add if very mild...i didn't need salt tonight
f)build up layers..spuds,mackerel,bay,spuds.mackerel,spuds
g)pour milk mixture over spuds til level with top layer of spuds
h)bake in pre heated oven,middle shelf @ 180c/350f until "knife point" tender 1-1.5hrs depending on quantity cooked
i)allow to rest for 10-15mins this allows the spuds/cream etc to firm back up a bit & avoids third degree mouth burns
leftovers(there won't be any trust me)are delish cold the next day with a crispy salad
i serve mine with baby sweet romaine as in the pics & crusty bread,because if you don't have bread for the gooey juices you will lick the plate & that would never do,would it my fellow gastronauts...?
 

Attachments

  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 001.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 001.JPG
    92.5 KB · Views: 726
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 002.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 002.JPG
    82.5 KB · Views: 213
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 004.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 004.JPG
    76.3 KB · Views: 225
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 006.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 006.JPG
    99.2 KB · Views: 217
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 007.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 007.JPG
    92.6 KB · Views: 209
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 008.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 008.JPG
    79.6 KB · Views: 226
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 009.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 009.JPG
    81.8 KB · Views: 224
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 010.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 010.JPG
    87.8 KB · Views: 240
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 011.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 011.JPG
    95.5 KB · Views: 287
  • SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 014.JPG
    SMOKED MACKEREL DAUPHINOISE 014.JPG
    106.1 KB · Views: 229
Last edited:
p.s.don't be tempted to use semi or skimmed milk,the sauce will split & it's a once a month treat so forget calories/fat for once!!
if you are going to use cheese use gruyere.i've tried it with cheddar & a few other cheeses,they all seem to create a lot of oil.gruyere doesn't.comte or gruyere de comte to be precise is delicious & works well too.one swiss,one french,both very similar....your choice
 
potatoes dauphinoise or dauphinoise potatoes,whichever,is a dish like paella,bouillabaise,irish stew & lancashire hot pot to name but four:ermm:there are 1000's of variations,everyone claims to cook the authentic/original dish & nobody does,'cos nobody knows..every place i've eaten it in france has their own take on it....this is mine,which is a variation on a nigel slater recipe:
HARRY'S SMOKED MACKEREL POTATOES DAUPHINOISE....pure comfort...this dish will put it's arms around you & give you a huge hug!i won't give precise measurements as they will vary depending on number of diners:
1)potatoes,the biggest debate in dauphinoise.i use maris piper,great allrounder boils,steams,mashes,roasts,bakes,fries & fab flavour....your choice.
2)double(heavy)cream & whole(4%)milk..3 parts cream to 2 parts milk
3)bay leaf...one is enough for up to 4 servings
4)wholegrain mustard...1 tbls is enough for 2-4 servings depending on how much you like mustard
5)1 tbls gruyere cheese-optional...i like it...your choice add it/leave it out
6)ground black pepper...percy pepper & mavis mackerel are lovers
7)smoked mackerel,skin removed,i like lots...i used cornish hickory smoked
THE METHOD:
a)peel & slice potatoes about the thickness of a shiny british pound
b)rinse sliced spuds in several changes of water then pat dry...spuds MUST be dry
c)lightly butter cooking dish
d)mix milk,cream.mustard,pepper & cheese
e)taste mackerel for saltiness...add if very mild...i didn't need salt tonight
f)build up layers..spuds,mackerel,bay,spuds.mackerel,spuds
g)pour milk mixture over spuds til level with top layer of spuds
h)bake in pre heated oven,middle shelf @ 180c/350f until "knife point" tender 1-1.5hrs depending on quantity cooked
i)allow to rest for 10-15mins this allows the spuds/cream etc to firm back up a bit & avoids third degree mouth burns
leftovers(there won't be any trust me)are delish cold the next day with a crispy salad
i serve mine with baby sweet romaine as in the pics & crusty bread,because if you don't have bread for the gooey juices you will lick the plate & that would never do,would it my fellow gastronauts...?
That sounds like a British version of Jannson's Temptation.

Jansson's Temptation (Janssons Frestelse) Recipe - Allrecipes.com
 
omg cw,onions,spuds,anchovies & cream.... now you've done it.....that is gonna be cooked soon....thank you:chef:!
You do want to use Swedish anchovies, not Italian or Spanish. Swedish ones are in a vinegar-sugar brine. I buy mine at IKEA. I imagine you could use fresh if you can get them--I can't.If you can't get the Swedish ones, rinse the others very well under hot water. You want to get rid of the salt and oil. I add about 2/3 of the cream first, cook at 450 for about 10 minutes, drop the heat, and add the rest of the cream. And yes, I always use cream. About 45 minutes later, I check and may add yet more cream.

I slice the potatoes in rounds (like you do), not matchsticks. I put a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions, dot with anchovies, another layer of potatoes, another layer of onions, more anchovies, and finish with a layer of potatoes. I generally use 2 cans of anchovies. Mine bake at 350 for about 50-60 minutes (this is after starting at 450 for 10 minutes). They are WONDERFUL the next day as well. One of my most favorite dishes. I don't put any bread crumbs on top, but I do dot with butter before I put it in the oven. Oh, and I often add about 3-4 garlic cloves (minced) to the onion layers. S&P to taste. I make a huge casserole every time I make this--and it is gone in 2 days (2 people). We love it. It is traditionally served on the hot table of a Swedish smorgasbord (sorry, can't find the diacritics TL!). Oh, I gotta go to IKEA and get anchovies--we have potatoes in the field and I know fresh potatoes would move this dish up a notch!

PS--this was always served as the dish after a night out the summer I spent in Stockholm. I am so glad a friend of mine introduced me to this...I've been making it for more than 30 years (before I could get Swedish anchovies--hence the rinsing trick).

You want the spuds tender, so you might need to increase or decrease the cooking time, depends on how thinly sliced the spuds are--I run them through the FP blade. I try and let them rest for about 10 minutes, but I'm usually having to banish a knife to keep s/one else from picking at the dish.

I "think" I cover it for the first 45-50 minutes, and remove the cover for the finish to "brown." My friend in Sweden made it in a 9 x 13 in. glass pyrex dish and didn't cover it, as I recall. I do mine in a fairly deep corningware casserole dish.
 
Last edited:
You do want to use Swedish anchovies, not Italian or Spanish. Swedish ones are in a vinegar-sugar brine. I buy mine at IKEA. I imagine you could use fresh if you can get them--I can't.If you can't get the Swedish ones, rinse the others very well under hot water. You want to get rid of the salt and oil. I add about 2/3 of the cream first, cook at 450 for about 10 minutes, drop the heat, and add the rest of the cream. And yes, I always use cream. About 45 minutes later, I check and may add yet more cream.

I slice the potatoes in rounds (like you do), not matchsticks. I put a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions, dot with anchovies, another layer of potatoes, another layer of onions, more anchovies, and finish with a layer of potatoes. I generally use 2 cans of anchovies. Mine bake at 350 for about 50-60 minutes (this is after starting at 450 for 10 minutes). They are WONDERFUL the next day as well. One of my most favorite dishes. I don't put any bread crumbs on top, but I do dot with butter before I put it in the oven. Oh, and I often add about 3-4 garlic cloves (minced) to the onion layers. S&P to taste. I make a huge casserole every time I make this--and it is gone in 2 days (2 people). We love it. It is traditionally served on the hot table of a Swedish smorgasbord (sorry, can't find the diacritics TL!). Oh, I gotta go to IKEA and get anchovies--we have potatoes in the field and I know fresh potatoes would move this dish up a notch!

PS--this was always served as the dish after a night out the summer I spent in Stockholm. I am so glad a friend of mine introduced me to this...I've been making it for more than 30 years (before I could get Swedish anchovies--hence the rinsing trick).

You want the spuds tender, so you might need to increase or decrease the cooking time, depends on how thinly sliced the spuds are--I run them through the FP blade. I try and let them rest for about 10 minutes, but I'm usually having to banish a knife to keep s/one else from picking at the dish.

I "think" I cover it for the first 45-50 minutes, and remove the cover for the finish to "brown." My friend in Sweden made it in a 9 x 13 in. glass pyrex dish and didn't cover it, as I recall. I do mine in a fairly deep corningware casserole dish.
thanks for the "hints & wrinkles" cw especially about the anchovies...there's an ikea on the way to bolas's that i go too.i'll check out the food section.
let you know how i get on:chef:
 
thanks for the "hints & wrinkles" cw especially about the anchovies...there's an ikea on the way to bolas's that i go too.i'll check out the food section.
let you know how i get on:chef:
Here the can is labeled anchovies, but the ingredients list calls them sprats. Don't know if you can get them anywhere other than at IKEA. I know I can't. One of the few things I buy that comes in a can.
 
Here the can is labeled anchovies, but the ingredients list calls them sprats. Don't know if you can get them anywhere other than at IKEA. I know I can't. One of the few things I buy that comes in a can.

We have jars and tins of anchovies here :)
 
That looks DELICIOUS, but then again I imagine anything with lots of heavy cream and potatoes is bound to taste great amirite? I'm gonna tuck this recipe away for the next time I have some smoked mackerel lying about.

I made pommes dauphinoise once, but it was the basic layered potato slices just baked plain in the oven to use as a garnish. I'm surprised they stayed together and didn't turn out soggy or unevenly cooked--and I think it was just dumb luck as I've heard horror stories (as much horror as you can possibly get out of a failed pommes dauphinoise, anyway).

I wonder if a small amount of potato starch would do anything good for the dish if it were added to the liquid mixture as a slurry.
 
Last edited:
If you like this, you most likely will also like the Norwegian Sailor Stew (oops--that is actually Swedish Pot Roast) thread/recipe. I have to drag the box back from the farm to confirm the recipe I posted. It is NOT Norwegian--my bad. No wonder my Norwegian friends, Norwegian cooking forum, Sons of Noway, and the Norwegian embassy contact couldn't find the recipe for me. Not that I didn't try!
 
That looks DELICIOUS, but then again I imagine anything with lots of heavy cream and potatoes is bound to taste great amirite? I'm gonna tuck this recipe away for the next time I have some smoked mackerel lying about.

I made pommes dauphinoise once, but it was the basic layered potato slices just baked plain in the oven to use as a garnish. I'm surprised they stayed together and didn't turn out soggy or unevenly cooked--and I think it was just dumb luck as I've heard horror stories (as much horror as you can possibly get out of a failed pommes dauphinoise, anyway).

I wonder if a small amount of potato starch would do anything good for the dish if it were added to the liquid mixture as a slurry.
cheers mayo.as far as the potato starch goes i think it's the opposite.the trick with dauphinoise imo is to slice the spuds even thickness then rinse & rinse again to remove the starch then dry the spuds well.the starch will make the sauce lumpy & granular & if you don't dry the spuds it can make the sauce runny or worse still split.
one of the biggest debates over dauph is potato type.waxy? floury? peeled?unpeeled?.imo using unpeeled spuds brings nothing to the party & i have cooked it with loads of different varieties/types and i find non perform any better than another.....just select a tasty spud,slice,rinse,rinse,rinse again,dry & you can't go wrong!
enjoy mayo!!
 
Last edited:
If you like this, you most likely will also like the Norwegian Sailor Stew (oops--that is actually Swedish Pot Roast) thread/recipe. I have to drag the box back from the farm to confirm the recipe I posted. It is NOT Norwegian--my bad. No wonder my Norwegian friends, Norwegian cooking forum, Sons of Noway, and the Norwegian embassy contact couldn't find the recipe for me. Not that I didn't try!
will give it a go soon :chef:!!
 
will give it a go soon :chef:!!
It has anchoivies, cream, and brandy in it--what's not to like:yum:. I will be making this again come fall. I found the recipe in a friend's Swedish cookbook when I was house sitting in 2007. I made it once, and the pleasure of the different tastes has stayed with me since then. I moved to the farm and could not find the recipe until recently when going through the boxes in the spare room. BT said that the recipe reminds him of his mom's pot roast and he was going to run it by her. I think I'll run it by my Swedish friends once I move the box and unpack it to see if there is anything the recipe that is missing (the recipe posted was from memory after finding and reading the recipe again). I would think my Swedish friend who introduced me to Jannson's Temptation will also have his grandma's recipe for this.
 
Last edited:
It has anchoivies, cream, and brandy in it--what's not to like:yum:. I will be making this again come fall. I found the recipe in a friend's Swedish cookbook when I was house sitting in 2007. I made it once, and the pleasure of the different tastes has stayed with me since then. I moved to the farm and could not find the recipe until recently when going through the boxes in the spare room. BT said that the recipe reminds him of his mom's pot roast and he was going to run it by her. I think I'll run it by my Swedish friends once I move the box and unpack it to see if there is anything the recipe that is missing (the recipe posted was from memory after finding and reading the recipe again). I would think my Swedish friend who introduced me to Jannson's Temptation will also have his grandma's recipe for this.
can't go wrong with spuds & cream cw....and,ooh la la brandy too:yum:!
right,no more food chat,i'm on pre op fast...having me shoulder op today so i'm starving & need to pack me overnight stuff.....see you in a coupla days cw:)!!
 
Back
Top Bottom