At The Madison Hotel in Washington, DC, executive chef Tim Recher serves this as a side dish for a Mediterranean-style dinner. With flavors of the Greek dip known as skordalia and the Middle Eastern spread baba ghanoush, it works equally well with fish, chicken or even lamb. It would also make a great accompaniment to grilled vegetables and chickpea salad for a meatless dinner.
Serves 5

Ingredients

  • 1 eggplant
  • ¾ pound white potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 head roasted garlic, mashed to a paste
  • ½ cup evaporated skim milk
  • 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp. flat-leaf parsley, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
  • 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° or grill to high heat.

Roast eggplant in oven or on grill until skin is charred and interior flesh is soft. Remove from heat, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Reserve flesh for the next step.

Simmer the potatoes in water until fork-tender. Drain well and return the pot over heat to dry them out and make a more deeply-flavored puree. In a bowl, puree the potatoes through a ricer or food mill with the reserved roasted eggplant. Stir in the roasted garlic.

Bring evaporated skim milk to a boil and stir into the potato mixture a little at a time until you have reached the desired consistency. You may not need all of the milk.

Season with parsley, salt, pepper, and cumin. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Published 02/21/2012

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