Difficulty: Involved Serves 4

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  
• 1 leek, washed and sliced
  
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 shallots, chopped
  
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
  
• 2 sprigs of thyme
  
• 1 cup dry white wine
  
• 1 stick unsalted butter
  
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsely
  
• 2 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

For the potatoes:

• 1/4 cup clarified butter
  
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
  
• 2 large baking potatoes

For the mushrooms:

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10 oz mixed mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 2 shallots, minced

Directions

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek, celery, onion, shallots and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until they are limp. Add the thyme and wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half. Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce into another saucepan. Pour out 3/4 cup of the broth and save the rest for another use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the clarified butter.
Line a jellyroll pan with a sheet of parchment paper and brush it with a film of clarified butter, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cut off all 4 sides of each potato so that you have a rectangular block, then cut off each end. Carefully and thinly (about 1/16th of an inch) slice off 16 slices of potato. Place the slices on the parchment paper and brush the tops with clarified butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place another sheet of parchment over the potato layer and place a second jellyroll pan ontop of the first. This will keep the potatoes from curling as they cook. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees F. and remove the top jellyroll pan.
Place a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and melt 3 Tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. Add shallots and saute for another 2 miinutes then remove from heat.
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a small saucepan and add 1/2 stick of butter, a piece at a time, whisking until each piece melts. When the butter is incorporated, pour the mixture into a blender and blend at high speed. With the blender on high, add the remaining 1/2 stick of butter until the mixture emulsifies. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over low heat and add parsley, tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.
To serve:
Place a potato slice on an individual serving plate and top with a heaping spoonful of mushrooms. Top again with a potato slice, more mushrooms, another potato slice, more mushrooms and a fourth and final potato slice. Ladle the sauce over each and serve immediately.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and peel away the top parchement.

Tips

Clarified butter can be found in specialty food stores.