Cod Fillet Wrapped in Ham with Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

• 800 g potatoes (mostly waxy)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp potato starch (depending on potato variety)
• Salt
• freshly grated nutmeg
• oil for frying
• 4 pieces cod fillet (about 160 g each)
• 8 slices Parma ham
• 2 chicory heads
• a splash of white wine
• 6 tomatoes
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• olive oil
• 1 Shallot
• Cayenne pepper
• dried oregano
• ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash and pat dry the cod. Season with pepper and wrap in Parma ham.

2. 2.

   Wash, trim, and quarter each chicory head lengthwise. Fry in 2 tbsp hot oil until golden brown; season with salt and pepper, deglaze with white wine. Cover and simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes until tender.

3. 3.

   Heat tomatoes briefly, cool, peel, quarter, deseed, and dice. Peel and finely dice the shallot; sauté in 3 tbsp hot oil, stir in tomato paste, oregano, and tomato cubes, then remove from heat. Season with salt and cayenne pepper and let rest covered.

4. 4.

   For the potato pancakes, grate the potatoes, wrap in a damp kitchen towel, and squeeze out excess moisture. Let the juice sit briefly, then drain so that the separated starch remains at the bottom of the bowl. Mix grated potatoes with egg and potato starch; season with salt and nutmeg.

5. 5.

   Form small mounds of the mixture into a pan with hot oil, flatten, shape edges round, and fry 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until done. Fry each batch separately, drain on paper towels, and keep warm if desired.

6. 6.

   Fry the cod in 2 tbsp not-too-hot oil for about 2 minutes per side over low heat. Remove from heat and let rest to finish cooking.

7. 7.

   Arrange potato pancakes on preheated plates, place chicory on top, then arrange the cod fillet. Add tomato slices and serve.