On the final day of Uptown Uncorked, we enjoyed a “Sips and Savors Chef Demo” led by Chef Roble and Adam Banks who generously shared this recipe with me for Chef Roble’s mother’s decadent potato salad made with King Crab, Tobiko and a Beurre Blanc.

Serves 4 People

Ingredients:

4 ea- Cooked king crab leg, taken out of the shell

2 ea- Radishes, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp- Fresh tarragon leaves

1 Tbsp- Chopped Italian parsley

Beurre Blanc:

1 – Shallot, thinly sliced

½ Tbsp- Whole black peppercorn

1- Bay leaf

2 Sprigs- Fresh thyme

2 C- Dry white wine

2 Tbsp- White wine vinegar

2 Tbsp- Heavy Cream

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 Sticks- Unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold

¼ C- Orange tobiko, plus extra for garnish

Potato Salad:

2 large, russet potatoes- peeled, rinsed and cut into about a medium dice. You’ll want to end up with 4 C of diced potatoes

1 egg- hard boiled, chopped

1 ½ Tbsp Spanish onion- finely chopped

1 Tbsp celery- finely chopped

1 ½ Tbsp red bell pepper- small dice

1 tsp flat leaf parsley- finely chopped

1 Tbsp sweet relish

¾ Tbsp yellow mustard

3 ½ Tbsp mayonnaise

½ tsp honey

Kosher salt and pepper

Method:

Add diced potatoes into a medium pot, add cold water until just covered and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low so potatoes are just simmering. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until they are cooked through, but not mushy. Drain in a colander and allow potatoes to cool spread out on a cookie sheet.

When potatoes are cooled, add all other ingredients and mix evenly. For best results, make the potato salad the night before and store in the fridge covered with plastic or a tight fitting lid.

Add shallots, peppercorn, bay leaf, thyme, wine and vinegar to a small sauce pot. Place over medium high heat and allow the liquid to reduce almost all the way until it gets syrupy.

Turn down heat to its lowest setting add the heavy cream. Add the cubed butter about ½ stick at a time. Stir constantly with a whisk to allow butter to melt into the reduction. Add next round of butter after first round has completely melted.

Strain butter sauce into a new pot over very low heat, add lemon juice, zest and tobiko. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed.

Add the crab meat into the butter sauce to warm the crab.

On a plate or shallot bowl, spoon a mound of potato salad in the middle. With tongs or slotted spoon, remove the crab from the sauce and place on top of the potato salad.

Spoon butter sauce over the top of the crab. Garnish with tarragon, parsley, sliced radish and tobiko.

Pair this with a crisp, elegant white wine like the Truvee Chardonnay .

Additional tips from Chef Roble:

• Be sure to use a stainless steel pot versus aluminum for the Beurre Blanc and enough heat to melt the butter, but don’t make it too hot.
• Use red and yellow peppers; they taste better than green peppers
• Idaho potatoes are good for dicing. Cook them until they are soft, but not falling apart. Allow enough time to let them cool gradually
• French’s yellow mustard is good enough for potato salad. No need for “gourmet” mustard.
• Beurre Blanc is a “Mother Sauce” and the base for many other sauces, including Hollandaise sauce. “The Sauce Bible” is a great reference book for serious chefs who want to learn more about sauces.