Gold Star Recipe: "My Life On a Plate" from Season 2
Lee (Team Anthony) and Jeff (Team Ludo) each took home two Gold Stars in Episode 202, "My Life On a Plate," putting them in a pretty good place going forward. But never mind all that competition business for a moment: This is about taste. More specifically, how you get those yummy tastes into your own mouths.
Here's a good plan for you to follow: the recipe to Jeff's Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Gratin. Jeff mentioned in the episode that he really loves chicken wings. So a buffalo chicken recipe from a guy who loves buffalo chicken who also was drafted onto a cooking competition show by a world-famous chef? Yes, please.
Jeff's (Gold Star) Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Gratin
Ingredients:
Pickled Celery:
3 celery ribs, shaved or thinly sliced
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 tb salt
¼ c sugar
Gratin:
3 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 c butter
4 oz blue cheese
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pt heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
Buffalo Chicken:
2 chicken thighs, with bones and skin
salt, to taste
1/4 c Sriracha
~20 drops hot sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
2 c flour
cayenne pepper, to taste
2 egg whites
2 c peanut oil
2 oz sour cream
1 tsp chives, chopped
Directions:
Mix together celery, apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
De-bone and remove skin from chicken, reserving skin. Place skin on Silpat or other nonstick oven-safe mat, season with salt and bake at 400 degrees until crispy, about 75 minutes. Let cool, then crumble. Set aside.
Peel and slice potatoes. Par boil the potatoes to soften. In a bowl, mix butter, blue cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Place a layer of potatoes in an oven-safe dish, then make a layer of gratin mixture on top. Make 3 pairs of layers and cover with the heavy cream. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.
Cut the thigh meat into bite size chunks. Mix together with Sriracha, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. In a separate bowl mix flour, as well as salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. In another bowl, whisk 2 egg whites with hot sauce to taste.
Heat peanut oil. Dip chicken in egg whites (make sure to shake off excess marinade), then lightly dredge through flour. Fry on both sides until crispy.
Serve a slice of the Gratin with the crispy chicken topped with sour cream and chives. Garnish with the Pickled Celery and crispy chicken skin crumbles.