Catch the Spoon

We’ve been lucky, on a few occasions, to be gifted with a bag of mushrooms from a fellow vendor at the mid-week market where we sell our jewelry. This was a lucky week. It’s also been a busy week, so we didn’t get to play with the mushrooms until today. Cut up and combined with gorgeous, just-picked purple potatoes from our market neighbors Jack and Doris, the ‘shrooms became a meaty, earthy, fresh, end-of-summer dish that I’ll remember for a good long time.

Fresh Purple Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 quart purple potatoes
• 1 quart mixed mushrooms (we used button and porcini, because that’s what we were given)
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Wash potatoes and mushrooms and pat dry. Slice potatoes approximately 1/4″ thick, halving or quartering large potatoes as necessary to achieve a consistent size. Set aside. Slice or roughly chop mushrooms. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 stick butter. When butter has melted, add half of the potato slices. Salt to taste. Cook until potatoes have taken on a blueish hue and are barely fork-tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Repeat with 1/2 stick butter, salt, and remaining potaotes. Set aside. Add remaining butter to pan. When melted, add mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have given off their liquid and pan is almost dry. Remove from heat.

Combine potatoes and mushrooms in a large mixing bowl. Turn out into 8×8″ baking dish and top with parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° F for 30 minutes.

Serves 6-8.