This has got to be my favourite accompaniment to a special dinner at home. It’s a bit of a fiddle and takes a while to prepare but it really is a labour of love, the end result is an expensive looking, beautiful and tasty side to any meat or fish. Your going to need a killer sauce and your meat needs to be perfectly cooked and seasoned or this accompaniment will steal the show.
This recipe will make 4 terrines
4 large potatoes , I find maris piper potatoes are the best because they have a dry floury texture and don’t leak to much moisture out when it come to pressing, also the marinade sticks to them really well.
100ml of full cream
3 garlic cloves bashed with the flat of a knife until split open
1 sage leaf
Parmesan grated
Knob of butter
Salt and pepper to season
Pre heat the oven to 175 degrees.
Pour the cream into a sauce pan and heat gently, don’t let it boil. Add the bay leaf, a pinch of salt and pepper and the garlic cloves. Heat through until tiny bubbles start to appear around the sides of the pan and remove from the heat.
Peel the potatoes and slice them finely, making sure they are all the same thickness (roughly 2-3mm). If you have a round mould slice them into circles, I have a square mould so I’ll be slicing them square.
Sieve the cream mixture into a deep bowl and add the slices of potato, stir them with your hands until all are coated and then leave to rest.
While the potatoes are marinating, grease the sides of the two moulds and place them onto a heat proof dish on top of grease proof paper.
Layer the potato slices into the moulds making sure to reach into all four corners, layer evenly pressing gently down to feel hollow spots. Season every other layer with a pinch of salt and pepper and finally, pour a desert spoon sized amount of the remaining cream mixture over each terrine.
Place on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 mins.
Using a palette knife lift the terrines in their moulds onto a plate topped with grease proof paper, cover the terrines with another sheet of grease proof paper.
Place the terrines in the fridge with a weight on top of them, I’m using two jars full of water and allow to cool and set for 4 hours.
Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees once your 15 minutes from plating up the rest of your dish.
Whilst the oven is heating, remove the terrines from the fridge. Take the weight off and remove the grease proof paper top. Carefully lift the mould off with your fingers pressing gently down on all four corners of the potato.
With a palette knife lift and slide the terrine onto a fresh piece of grease proof paper and transfer to an oven proof dish.
Finely slice a knob of butter and spread out on top of the terrine, next grate fresh Parmesan on top of the butter.
Place in the center of the oven for 13 minutes until golden brown, then remove and stand for 3 minutes.
That’s it, serve with your chosen meat or fish, I served mine with fillet of lamb, cauliflower purée and rosemary jus.
The Home Diners Diary 
Potato, cream, butter, cheese.. I’m in heaven! This looks amazing! I’m gonna have to find something to pair this with (as I’m a vegetarian).. but then again I may just make a load to eat on their own 😀
It’s well worth the work, I promise. Thank you!
Beautiful presentation. I’m immediately considering the possibilities with other root vegetables or perhaps even cauliflower. Anything that can be au gratin would see to be an option here. I really like the control it creates for plating options.
The possibilities are endless really, I had an idea for doing a mixed vegetable terrine in the same way, layering colour and texture. I haven’t got around to it yet, but could be the perfect accompaniment to christmas meat maybe? Thanks for viewing, much appreciated.