Warm Potato Crusted Goat Cheese with Garden Herbs and Lemony Vinaigrette

Method

1. Smooth the goat cheese with a spoon and flavor with capers, sage, garlic, parsley, and pepper. Shape the cheese into 8 2-ounce pucks. Chill until firm.

2. Pass the cheese through a standard breading procedure, but replace the bread crumbs with instant mashed potato flakes (Potato Buds seem to work best). Hold for service under refrigeration.

3. For the vinaigrette: In a small stainless steel bowl mix the minced shallots and the zest with the lemon juice for 10 minutes. Whisk in the mustard and then add the oil in a thin stream while whipping. When all the oil has been added, season with salt, pepper, and sugar, and then test for flavor on a piece of lettuce

4. For the bread, cut a small baguette on a long bias at about 3/16ths of an inch thick to create oval crostini. Brush the crostini with olive oil and roast in a hot oven until golden. Rub each crouton lightly with a clove of garlic.

5. Fry the cheeses in moderately hot oil until golden, crispy, and warmed through. Drain the cheese on an absorbent towel.

6. For the plate up, dress the greens lightly with vinaigrette and taste; adjust the seasoning. Place the greens on a chilled plate and make a slight hollow in the center. Place the fried and warm goat cheese into the center of the greens so that it is slightly hidden and then stick 1 or 2 croutons into the cheese, on end, so that they stick up high and create a dramatic presentation. Serve while the cheese is still warm and the greens are still crisp.

Note: You can vary the flavoring of the cheese to suit your taste or your menu. Fresh herbs, olives, garlic, roasted shallots, dried tomatoes, and cracked pepper all make nice additions, but just plain goat cheese of good quality tastes delicious on its own in a crisp potato crust.

Yield: 8 portions