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Farçon savoyard
Baked potato pudding with prunes
Savoie's baked potato pudding with prunes and raisins (farçon)
In the Savoyard valleys, especially around Albertville and the Val d'Arly, farçon was the Sunday dish left to cook slowly while the family was at Mass: grated potatoes mixed with eggs, cream, prunes and raisins, set in a tall mould and cooked for hours in a water bath. The result is a sliceable, sweet-and-savoury cake, soft and golden, served with a green salad or as a side at a winter feast. Traditionally the mould is lined with bacon; this version uses a buttered mould instead, so it is vegetarian. Chef's tip: let it rest for 15 minutes in the mould before turning it out; it firms up and slices cleanly.
- Total time
- 145 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb potatoesa floury variety, peeled
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp potato starch or cornflour
- 4 oz pitted pruneshalved
- 1 ¾ oz raisins
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 oz buttersoft, for the mould
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Method
0/6 doneStep 2: Grate 2 ¼ lb potatoes finely, then squeeze them in a clean tea towel to remove most of the liquid.
10 minStep 3: Whisk 3 eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, ½ cup crème fraîche, 2 tbsp potato starch or cornflour, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the potato, 4 oz pitted prunes and 1 ¾ oz raisins until well mixed.
Step 4: Pack the mixture into the mould and cover tightly with buttered foil. Common mistake: leaving the foil loose, which lets steam escape and dries out the top.
Step 5: Stand the mould in a roasting tin and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 2 hours, topping up the water if needed, until firm and a knife comes out clean and hot.
120 minStep 6: Remove the foil and rest for 15 minutes, then run a knife round the edge and turn out. Serve in thick slices. It reheats well sliced and browned in a buttered pan.
15 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does farçon savoyard take?
- About 145 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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