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Octopus and potato terrine

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for octopus and potato terrine by Popolo restaurant in Sydney.

  • 1 hr preparation
  • 50 mins cooking plus cooling, marinating
  • Serves 10
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Octopus and potato terrine
“Traditionally on Good Friday we’re not allowed to eat meat, so insalata di patate e polpo is one of the dishes our grandmothers would prepare for dinner before or after Via Crucis,” says Flavio Carnevale. “For this terrine variation, we were inspired by the gattò di patate Napoletano made with potatoes and all the most traditional Easter ingredients such as cheese and salami.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

  • 3 large Desiree potatoes (900gm), scrubbed
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra leaves to serve
  • 1½ tbsp finely chopped chives
  • 100 gm black Italian olives, such as Gaeta, pitted, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
  • 10 gm bottarga or mullet roe
Boiled octopus
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 small onion
  • Juice and rind of 1½ lemons
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 3 small garlic cloves, bruised
  • 1 octopus (about 600gm), cleaned
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main
  • 1
    For boiled octopus, combine celery, carrot, onion, half the lemon juice and all the rind, bay leaf, 1 garlic clove and 2.5 litres water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, add octopus, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer until tender (50 minutes). Remove from heat, cool octopus in liquid (1½-2 hours), then drain (discard liquid).
  • 2
    Separate octopus head from tentacles and remove beak. Cut head and tentacles into 1cm pieces and transfer to a non-reactive container with remaining lemon juice, remaining garlic, vinegar and olive oil, season to taste and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
  • 3
    Cook potatoes in simmering salted water until tender (25-30 minutes). Drain well, then peel, mash roughly, add lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste. Cool to room temperature (15-20 minutes), then add chopped herbs.
  • 4
    Press half the potato mixture into a 6cm-deep, 10cm x 20cm loaf tin lined with plastic wrap. Drain octopus well (discard garlic), and arrange on top of potato, then top with remaining potato mixture, pressing firmly into tin.
  • 5
    Combine olives and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Turn terrine onto serving plate, remove plastic wrap, top with olive mixture, grate bottarga over, scatter with parsley, drizzle with olive oil, and serve at room temperature.

Notes

This recipe is from the March 2013 issue of .
Drink Suggestion: 2008 Surrau Vermentino Brut, Sardegna. Drink suggestion by Fabio Dore

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