2022 Tour de France - Stage 9: Aigle to Châtel les Portes du Soleil.
Another day in the mountains of Switzerland with a couple of grueling Category 1 climbs. The riders have a rest day tomorrow, and what better way to recuperate then with some Swiss potée? Never heard of potée, let alone the Swiss variety? Just think of it as a pot roast . I made a traditional French one back in the fall. The Swiss version would typically feature a cabbage sausage, but I used whatever I could find at the supermarket, and also employs a blonde roux to thicken it up at the end of the cook. This is a delicious and soul-restoring meal.
Swiss Potée
4 leeks, white and light green part only, rinsed well
2 yellow onion
½ cup white wine
¼ cup chicken stock
1 lb yellow potatoes, peeled and large dice
Butter
Olive oil
2 lbs sausage
2 tbsp AP flour
⅔ cup milk
Nutmeg
White pepper
Tarragon or other fresh herbs
Cut the leeks into 1.5” segments and dice the onion. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a dutch oven and sauté the leeks and onions with a pinch of salt.
When the vegetables begin to soften, season with black pepper and another pinch of salt. Add in the wine and chicken stock. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, brown your sausages for a few minutes on each side in a separate pan with some olive oil and add to the pot after the 20 minute vegetable cook mentioned above. Cover the pot again and reduce the temperature to medium low. Cook for another 20 minutes.
After 15 minutes of the sausage cooking with the vegetables, melt 2 tbsp butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour until fully incorporated and toasting for a minute. Then whisk in the milk.
When the roux seizes up, remove the sausage from the pot and place on a cutting board. Use a ladle and take about 1 cup of the stock in the pot and add it to the roux. Resume whisking the roux until mixture is fully liquidlike again and simmer for a minute or so to thicken.
Season the roux with some freshly grated nutmeg along with some salt and white pepper. Stir the roux into the pot of vegetables. Taste for any seasoning needs.
To serve, ladle some stew into a bowl and top with a few pieces of sausage, adding some fresh cut herbs.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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