Caviar purists suggest that the ideal way to enjoy a hit of the briny roe is atop something starchy and a little rich. A blini, plucked from a passing cocktail tray, will do. But so will the humble potato. The New York-based private chef Yann Nury, 41, describes it, in fact, as “the ideal receptacle for a noble product.” And unlike a bite-size canapé, a caviar-adorned jacket potato is both luxurious and comforting.
To make his version, Nury, who previously worked for Daniel Boulud, uses the Yukon Gold variety. The standard choice for a baked potato is a floury type, like the ubiquitous Russet. But the Yukon Gold’s slightly dense texture — what Nury calls its “natural creaminess” — allows you to reduce the amount of fat you add later, he says. Perfect, he explains, because you want “to keep the purity of the potato flavor.”
Nury roasts the potatoes until they’re tawny, then slices them open, carefully scooping out the flesh and folding tangy crème fraîche, olive oil, lemon zest and chives through it. Then, he spoons the mixture back into the crisp potato skins. His recipe calls for an extra potato to use for the filling, so that each of the three finished ones will be indulgently plump once restuffed. After a second round in the oven, the potatoes are topped with a dollop of caviar, preserved lemon, more chives, dill or fennel fronds.
“I love starting with ingredients or dishes that are unchallenging and familiar, and bringing special touches to them,” Nury says. He’d never had a baked potato until moving from France to America in his twenties, but “crème fraîche is what I grew up with,” he says. He prefers it to the thinner, more predictable sour cream and balances its richness with Espelette pepper, a mild chili grown in southwest France that he describes as a “flavor enhancer” rather than dominatingly spicy. “A potato is a potato and steak should be a steak,” he says. “My job as a cook is to elevate these flavors.”
Yann Nury’s Twice Baked Potatoes With Caviar
Makes 3 stuffed potatoes
Ingredients
4 Yukon Gold potatoes (one potato per person, plus one additional for the filling)
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
½ lemon, zested
About 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (plus more to taste)
1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon Espelette pepper
Fleur de sel
3 heaping teaspoons Golden Kaluga Caviar
Additional toppings, such as fennel fronds, dill, more chives or diced preserved lemon
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt and dust — you want to be able to eat the skin. Dry very well with a towel, then poke a few holes in each with a fork to avoid the buildup of steam. Coat the skins evenly with olive oil and sea salt. Medium potatoes will take 45 minutes to bake; large ones will take around 60. After 30 minutes, flip the potatoes so the skins crisp up evenly. They’re finished when they can be pierced easily and they have crisp, golden skin. Let them cool slightly, for 10 minutes or so, but not all the way.
2. Prepare the filling. Make a cut along the length of each potato and gently press the two edges to open. Carefully spoon out as much flesh as possible into a mixing bowl. Set the skins aside. Add to the bowl the crème fraîche, the lemon zest, around a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped chives to taste, the Espelette pepper and a pinch of salt. Take care with the salt as the caviar will also add salinity. Mix well with a fork or whisk — you’re looking for a chunky texture; don’t overmix. The filling can be prepared up to two days in advance and stored in the fridge along with the skins, which should be covered in plastic wrap.
3. Spoon the filling into three potato skins until they’re full (remember you will be left with an extra potato skin). The filling should plump the skin and it will expand during reheating. Use the inside of a large spoon to shape and smooth the filling. You can cover the stuffed potato with plastic for a day and recook it, or go straight to the next step.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake the stuffed potatoes for 20 to 30 minutes to warm them and add some color to the filling. Remove them from the oven and cover them generously with your toppings of choice and a dollop of caviar.
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