Since the Sausage and Pepper Pasta fiasco, I’ve been regulated to one Silver Palate recipe a week. Desserts, however, are free from these new regulatory measures as Dorian seems to be much less discerning where his sweet tooth is concerned.

This is fair, given he is subjected to this culinary adventure of mine, but in an effort to keep up the cadence of content I might just sneak in a non-Silver Palate recipe every now and then. And of course only if they are particularly delightful.

Traveling always provides me with an excuse to go wild buying magazines. Whether I’m at the airport, train station or bus depot, I often load up on a nice variety of periodicals because I really can’t bare the thought of getting bored in transit. During a recent trip back East to visit my family, I stopped at a Hudson newsstand for my routine magazine binge before boarding a Philadelphia-bound Amtrak train. I couldn’t resist the September issue of Sunset with its cover story “Fall Road Trips: Mountains, lakes and desert on California’s Highway 395.” The magazine’s Food and Drink section usually offers up some promising recipes and this one caught my eye.

Looking fresh with a mound of pea shoots atop layers of corn, mushrooms and potatoes, the Potato Confit with Corn, Ricotta and Chanterelles sounded like a great side to some grilled steaks. While there were quite a few steps, it was well-worth the effort as it accompanied one of the last summer dinners we would enjoy outside on the back patio before ever-earlier sunsets and cooler weather forced us inside.

Potato Confit with Corn, Ricotta and Chanterelles
Serves 6 to 8 / Cooking Time: 1 1/2 hours

1/2 lb. plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. canola oil
1 3/4 lbs. yellow fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
1 tbsp. Meyer lemon juice (considered the Meyer part optional here)
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
About 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
About 1/4 tsp. white pepper (considered the white part optional here too)
3 medium ears corn
1/3 lb. chanterelle mushrooms, halved if large (you might be on to me by now but considered the chanterelle part optional here as well)
1/4 cup minced shallot
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups homemade or reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
2 lightly packed cups pea shoots or watercress
1/2 cup fresh ricotta

1. Heat 1/2 lb. butter and 2 cups canola oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. If potatoes are differently sized, halve the larger ones so they all cook at the same rate. Add potatoes to butter-oil mixture, which should just cover them (add a little more canola oil if necessary). Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender, 25 to 35 minutes depending on size.

2. While potatoes are cooking, make Meyer lemon vinaigrette: Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and a couple pinches of white pepper. Set aside.

3. Transfer potatoes to a plate using a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 tbsp. of the butter-oil mixture and save the rest for another use (it freezes well). Season potatoes with 1/2 tsp. salt and let cool.

4. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and fill a medium bowl with ice and cold water. Shuck corn, then cut kernels from cob (stand the cob in a bowl on its narrow end and slice downward with a sharp knife). Add kernels to boiling water. Cover pot. When water returns to a boil, blanch kernels 20 seconds, drain in a fine-mesh colander, and pour into ice water. As soon as kernels are cool, drain again.

Photos courtesy of Lila Barker

5. Heat a (not non-stick) frying pan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the remaining 2 tbsp. canola oil. Add chanterelles, season with 1/4 tsp. each of salt and white pepper, and sauté until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

6. Gently smash cooled potatoes between your fingers and thumbs. Reheat pan over medium-high heat, swirl in 2 tbsp. reserved butter-oil mixture, and add smashed potatoes. Sauté until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Transfer crisp potatoes to a serving platter.

7. Pour white wine into pan, let sizzle a minute, and add chicken stock. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes. (I skipped this step because I do not currently have a non non-stick – read stick – pan and thus efforts to produce a pan sauce are futile.)

8. Stir in remaining 2 tbsp. butter. Add cooked corn and chanterelles, season with salt, and heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir in minced parsley. Spoon corn mixture over potatoes.

9. Toss pea shoots or watercress with lemon vinaigrette and mound over vegetables. Add spoonfuls of ricotta.