Grand-Mère (Garnish of bacon, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes)

The garnish called Grand-mère, is a medly of bacon, mushrooms, potatoes, and onions that goes well with braised meat such as chicken or beef. I found out after attempting this recipe that in order to cook the medly properly, you should prepare each ingredient separately and blend them in the end. Instead I used a recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link) for Potatoes Sautéed in Butter and threw in the remaining ingredients of bacon, mushrooms, and onions in the middle. Although it worked, I think the patient path would give better results.

Recipe: Grand-Mère (Garnish of bacon, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes)

Serves: 4-6

1 pound (2½ to 3 cups) “boiling” potatoes or new potatoes, tournéed 2 to 2½ inches long and 1 to 1¼ inches at their widest diameter
1½ to 2 tablespoons clarified butter or 1 tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon olive oil, more if needed
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ pound bacon, blanched and cut
½ pound (about 2 cups) mushrooms, diced
2 medium onions (about 2 cups), diced
1 to 1½ tablespoons butter, softened
1 to 1½ tablespoons parsley, chives, or fresh tarragon, or a mixture of fresh green herbs
big pinch of pepper

You can find the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (affiliate link).

Tasting Notes

I couldn't get this recipe right. It tasted oily the first time I made it, and bland the next time. After re-heating it to serve alongside a steak, I crisped it up in a skillet. This helped.

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Running total: $51.90 + $9.20 = $61.10

Butter used so far: 9 tablespoons

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