Potato blini appetizers would make an attractive addition on any Thanksgiving table. The true beauty of this dish, though, is its flavor. Atop each potato blin I placed a generous portion of quinoa, a caviar look-alike, which I mixed with homemade tapenade for added flavor. I topped the mixture with a dollop of crème fraîche, a piece of smoked salmon (optional) and garnished the little bites with dill.
Unlike cutlets (Indian version of the potato bite), potato blini contain eggs and flour (no bread), so the appetizers don’t fall apart when your guests pick them up. The result is an edible piece of art that is almost too pretty for your guests to eat.
1. Info for Potato Blini with Quinoa and Smoked Salmon
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 28
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Potato Blini with Quinoa and Smoked Salmon
- 2 Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 ounces fromage blanc (see tips)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ cup crème fraîche (or sour cream), as needed
- 1 (2-inch) piece leek (green part only), thinly sliced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup tapenade
- 3 slices smoked salmon, cut into 1″-pieces
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
3. Directions:
- Making ”fake” caviar: (this can be prepared a day in advance)
- In a bowl, combine the tapenade, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the quinoa. Adjust seasoning.
- Plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble. Peel the potatoes. Wash them. Place them in a large saucepan filled with water and, boil them for 20-22 minutes until tender.
- The potatoes should be fork-tender. Remove from the saucepan and drain; allow the potatoes to cool a little.
- Coarsely grate the potatoes using a cheese grater. Using food service disposable gloves, mash the shredded potatoes with the flour and turmeric powder.
- Separate the eggs in 2 separate bowls, yolks in one and whites in the other.
- Using a handheld mixer, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until you get a pale, yellow foam. Add cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the egg mixture and fromage blanc to the potato mixture. The consistency of the blini batter should be similar to pancake batter.
- For the egg-whites, add salt and whisk with a clean handheld-blender until you get stiff peaks (don’t over-mix or it will become grainy). The egg whites should stick right up.
- Add one-third of the egg whites to the potato mixture and stir with a spatula to make sure the batter is uniform. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.
- Place a hot, flat, non-stick griddle pan (or any flat pan such as a cast iron griddle) over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add the leeks and cook until fragrant. Transfer the leeks with the oil to a small bowl. Let the leeks cool a little and transfer to the blini batter.
- Using the same griddle pan, brush with more oil if necessary, add a little mound (about 1 tablespoon of the batter into the pan. Try to make a round shape. Using the back of the spoon, even out the thickness of the pancake. Lower the heat to medium-low. Leave it alone for about 1-2 minutes. When you see the edges start to dry and get firm, take a small flat spatula and lift around the edges: it should be golden. Flip it over and cook for another 2 minutes until golden. Cook 6-7 blini at a time (depending on how much space you have). Transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat the same procedure until all the batter is used.
- Even out the edges of the blini using a (2”-diameter) circle cutter. (This step can be made with your children if you want to get them involved in the kitchen. Plus they can have fun and eat the remnants).
- On a serving platter, place the potato blini. Place a little mound of the tapenade quinoa, using the quenelle method. Using 2 teaspoons, gather one portion of the quinoa mixture in one spoon. Scrape the loose mixture from the sides using the other spoon. Repeat until the quinoa is tightly packed, playing with the 2 spoons. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche. Garnish with a piece of smoked salmon and dill.
- Bon appétit!
