Wild Mushroom and Potato Parcels

Picture a platter of small parcels on your buffet table, each wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. A small gift for each guest to untie and enjoy at the table.

The insides are just as fantastic. Laced with tarragon and chives, when opened, these parcels release a fragrant puff of steam, enticing you to inhale another whiff and luring you to dig your fork in so that you can taste that scent. The mushrooms and potatoes cook with the herbs, wine, and cream to create a little pouch of flavor. You have got to give these a try.

The recipe is adapted from a recipe in Plenty. I love that cookbook! I fiddled with the proportions and herbs and I swapped out the anise-flavored liquor in favor of white wine, which was excellent. I don't know about you, but I don't have Pernod lying around my house and I didn't want to buy a bottle just for the few tablespoons that I needed for the recipe. White wine, on the other hand, I have. The dish is also hearty enough that it could be a main course for the vegetarians.

I recommend serving these along side something that will soak up the flavors of the sauce. Mashed potatoes or an herbed rice would be perfect and even a mildly-flavored stuffing would do nicely. Bread would also do the trick. And in our house there is always bread.

Wild Mushroom and Potato Parcels

The potatoes for this recipe can be cooked a day or two ahead and the mushrooms cleaned and sliced. I would wait until Thanksgiving morning to chop the herbs and toss everything together. The parcels can also be assembled in the morning and refrigerated until you are ready to pop them into the oven.

Adapted from Plenty
Serves 8
Approximately 30 minutes preparation time
20 minutes cooking time

9 cups of a mix of wild and crimini mushrooms
approximately a dozen baby potatoes
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup chopped tarragon
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes and put them in a medium-sized stockpot with their skins still on. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes, and could be anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. The potatoes should be tender when sliced with a knife but not too soft because they will cook a bit more when they bake in the parcels. Once the skins begin to burst, they are done. Drain the potatoes into a colander and let them cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, clean the mushrooms with a vegetable brush or a paper towel. Remove any large or woody stems and trim the ends off of any smaller stems. Slice the mushrooms and put them in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix everything together gently so that the mushrooms do not break. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Cut 8 pieces of parchment paper at least 13 inches square. Evenly distribute the mushroom-potato mixture among the squares. Pull up the corners of the parchment paper and scrunch the paper together tightly just above the filling. Tie with cotton twine.

Arrange the parcels on a baking sheet with an inch or so between them. Bake for 17 minutes. (If you re removing straight from the refrigerator to the oven, allow an extra minute or two). Remove from the oven. The original recipe says that the parcels need to rest for a minute, but I found that by the time we arranged them on plates or a serving platter, enough time had passed.

Serve the parcels as they are so that each diner can open his or her own bundle. The parcels can be eaten in the parchment paper or the parchment can be removed. Have a bowl handy for the wrappers in case your guests choose the latter option.

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Comments

[Jayne]

These look wonderful! What a treat to open those parcels. I also won't buy large bottles of alcohol when only a few spoonfuls a required.

[Catherine]

I love this series of sides you are doing - I am always looking for ways to sell vegetables to the family and I will definitely try these. I am thankful for your recipes!

[Margy]

Jayne, I have learned that lesson the hard way, and still have partial bottles of who-knows-what stashed in the basement.
Catherine, thank you for the nice feedback!

[creativebioscience.com]

Grease or spray bottom and sides of cake baking pans. Shake a little bit of flour on bottom to keep cake from sticking, pour excess off. Pour cake batter into three pans, dividing equally. Thanks.