Experience the perfect balance of earth and sea from the iconic Don Alfonso 1890 restaurant: a sophisticated dish combining creamy potatoes, briny oysters, and aromatic lentils.
An exercise in balance between land and sea: the Matese Potato stuffed with oysters on a bed of lentils and shrimp. This recipe, signed by Ernesto Iaccarino, Executive Chef of the celebrated Don Alfonso 1890, is a study in texture and flavor. The boiled, hollowed tuber cradles a purée scented with chives and oysters, resting on a bed of lentils stewed with aromatics and bay leaf. The dish is finished with baby shrimp marinated in lemon and fresh oysters, delivering creaminess, iodine notes, and herbaceous spice in a single bite.
The Inspiration: The Mountain Potatoes of Matese
To truly understand the soul of this dish, we must look to the wild, limestone spine of the Southern Apennines known as the Matese. In this pristine landscape straddling Campania and Molise, agriculture is often heroic, taking place on rocky terrain over 1000 meters above sea level. It is here that the Matese Potato thrives; grown in dry, calcium-rich karst soil without artificial irrigation, the plant fights for water, resulting in a tuber that is not swollen with liquid but dense with nutrients. This natural stress concentrates the sugars and starch, creating a firm, compact flesh with a deeply earthy, almost nutty flavor that industrial varieties simply cannot match.
While the Matese potato is a rare local gem, you don’t need a plane ticket to achieve a delicious result at home; you simply need to choose your ingredients with the same philosophy. To replicate the rustic texture of the original, steer clear of watery new potatoes. Instead, seek out high-quality yellow-fleshed varieties—such as a Yukon Gold or organic mountain potatoes—that boast a low water content and a firm structure, capable of holding their shape and absorbing the savory notes of the recipe without falling apart.
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Ingredients (Serves 4)
Procedure
Prepare the Potatoes
Peel the Matese potatoes and boil them until tender. Slice off the top quarter of each potato lengthwise (to create a lid) and carefully hollow out the insides. Pass the excavated potato pulp through a food mill fitted with a fine disc or use a potato ricer. To this smooth purée, add 2 cl of olive oil, 5 g of finely chopped chives, and 70 g of the oysters (chopped into small pieces). Mix thoroughly to amalgamate the flavors and season with salt to taste. Stuff the hollowed potatoes with this mixture and cover with the potato “lids” set aside earlier.
Prepare the Shrimp and Lentils
Shell the shrimp and place them in a bowl; marinate with fresh lemon juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Finely dice the celery and carrot (brunoise). Sauté them gently in a saucepan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the bay leaf and the lentils (previously soaked in cold water for two hours and drained). Let the lentils toast briefly with the aromatics, then cover with water and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until tender.
Plating
Place the stuffed potatoes in a lightly oiled baking dish. Warm them in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 3 minutes. To plate, create a bed of the stewed lentils on each dish. Place the warm potato in the center. Garnish with the marinated shrimp and the remaining fresh oysters. Finish with a dusting of chopped chives and a final drizzle of raw Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Serve immediately.