Scallops With Potato Pancakes With Caviar Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

PANCAKES
1 lb baking potato, peeled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup matzo meal
1/4 cup grated onion
salt
vegetable oil, for frying
SCALLOPS AND CAVIAR SAUCE
1 1/2 cups champagne
9 black peppercorns
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons creme fraiche
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 ounce caviar
salt
vegetable oil, for frying
20 medium sea scallops (1 pound)
2 tablespoons minced chives

Preparation

PREPARE THE PANCAKES:.
Coarsely shred the potatoes and squeeze out any excess liquid.
Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the egg, matzo meal, onion and a large pinch of salt.
Shape the mixture into 20 scallop-size cakes, about 1/2 inch thick; press the cakes to compress them.
In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering.
Working in batches, fry the pancakes over moderately high heat until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side.
Lower the heat if the pancakes brown too quickly and add more oil if necessary.
Transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt.
PREPARE THE SCALLOPS & CAVIAR SAUCE:.
Preheat the oven to 325\u00b0F
In a small saucepan, combine the Champagne with the peppercorns, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, shallot and lemon juice and boil over high heat until reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 15 minutes.
Strain the sauce into another small saucepan.
Stir in the creme fraiche and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
Remove from the heat and stir in the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Stir in the caviar and season lightly with salt.
Cover the sauce and keep it warm.
Wipe out the skillet and heat 1/4 inch of oil in it until shimmering.
Season the scallops with salt and add half of them to the skillet.
Cook over high heat until richly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook the remaining scallops.
Rewarm the potato pancakes in the oven.
Arrange the pancakes on a platter and set a scallop on each one.
Add the chives to the caviar butter sauce and spoon over the scallops.
Serve right away.
MAKE AHEAD:*.
The pancakes and caviar sauce can stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Rewarm the caviar sauce over low heat, stirring constantly.