A week ago today I returned from a project I’ve been working on in Tulum. Along with the normal hustle and bustle that comes with restoring my life after a week away, I have been prepping to roll out the Pantry with Purpose podcast and, well, you know, stocking up on groceries and doing seemingly endless loads of laundry.
Pictured above is Nadine Redzepi. If you Google her it says, “Rene Redzepi’s wife.” Nowhere does it say, restaurateur, chef, (multiple) cookbook author, or mother of three adorable towheads. Juuuuust that she’s a wife of a very famous chef. Right, infuriating.
So you’ll imagine my surprise as I was clacking away at my laptop in my clients’ restaurant that I spotted Rene Redzepi across the room. Clad in red shorts and white t-shirt, he was eating breakfast and sipping a cappuccino. For those of you not in the fancy culinary universe, Rene co-owns the top restaurant in the world and his work is seminal in how we think about procuring, growing, and presenting food. In short, he’s a very big deal.
Later that morning, as I moved from table to couch, he walked near me on his way back from the bathroom. I caught his eye and introduced myself and what tumbled out of my mouth made me proud, “I am a huge fan of your wife’s cookbooks!” He did seem slightly destabilized by my comment as I’m sure he gets no shortage of over-the-top accolades. Regardless, the moment passed gracefully and we went on to chat for a few more minutes about the perfect weather and the burgeoning Tulum dining scene.
I meant what I said. In particular, I am a huge fan of Nadine’s cookbook, Downtime. It’s colloquial, talks smartly about pantry, and presents inexpensive and inspired recipes in a demystifying way. It’s a far cry from Noma’s tweezer food.
As I navigate the steep curve that is podcastland, I’m tiding you over by sharing one of my favorite Nadine snacks below in the hopes that you’ll prepare it while listening to this new Holly Macve track, Bird. Her new album, Not That Girl is released tomorrow. She’s single, so at least she can’t be introduced as anyone’s wife.
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Homemade Potato Chips With Anchovy Hummus by Nadine Redzepi
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
2 Baking Potatoes
1t. Fine sea salt
1q. Canola oil (for frying)
1 Can of chickpeas
1 Garlic clove
1/4C. EVOO (for blending)
1T. Greek yogurt
1T. Tahini (or you can use peanut butter)
2t. Lemon juice
8-12 Anchovy Fillets
Toasted cumin seeds and paprika for garnish
Directions:
Scrub the potatoes and pat dry. With a mandolin or V-slicer, finely slice the potatoes into chips. The slices should be as close to paper thin as possible but not fragile.
Spread out on along row of paper towels. Lay the potato slices on the paper, sprinkle evenly with salt, and top with another layer of paper towels. Let them stand for about 15 minutes to draw out the water.
Pour enough oil into a large saucepan to come halfway up the sides and it one medium heat until it is shimmering. Lay out another row of fresh paper towels for draining the fried chips.
Start by adding just two potato slices to the hot oil. When they are golden brown around the edges, use a slotted spoon to turn them over. Cook for another 30 seconds or until the chips are light brown. Drain on paper towels. Continue frying the potatoes a few at a time, allowing their to return to the proper temperature before adding more.
Make the hummus: drain and rinse the chickpeas. Crush the garlic clove with the flat side of your knife and discard the papery skin. With the machine running, add the garlic clove through the feed tube of a food processor to mince the garlic. Add the chickpeas, 1/4 cup of EVOO, the yogurt, tahini, and lemon juice and process until smooth. Add the anchovies and purée.
Use a mortar and pestle to crush the cumin seeds.
Put the hummus in a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the crushed cumin and the smoked paprika. Serve the chips with the hummus.