Potatoes in Ash with Roasted Garlic Sauce, Mushrooms, and Marinated Yolk

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  First, marinate the yolks. Separate them from the whites into a small bowl, into which you pour a little liquid seasoning with a tablespoon of water and mix. When you have the yolks inside, pour in enough liquid seasoning so that they are almost completely submerged. Leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• 2
  Wash the potatoes, leaving the skin on. Using two equally sized wooden spoons and a knife with a straight edge, make deep cuts in the potatoes at regular intervals every few millimeters. This will help them bake better, faster, and more evenly, even if they are not all the same size. In a pan that you can put in the oven, melt the lard on the stove. Toss all the prepared potatoes in it, you can also use a brush – each of them should be covered with lard on the entire surface. Salt them and place them in an oven preheated to 200°C on the middle rack for about 50 minutes uncovered.
• 3
  Cut off the pointed ends of the garlic bulbs so that you can see a bit of each clove inside in the cross-section. Wrap each one separately in aluminum foil and add them to the oven with the potatoes.
• 4
  When everything is baked in the oven, take out the potatoes and garlic. Transfer the potatoes to a heat-resistant baking dish or aluminum grill tray. Add 4 full handfuls of hay. Go outside, at least to the balcony, and close the door behind you – this is too much for a home environment and a full-blast extractor fan. Light the hay using a blowtorch or long fireplace matches. Everything must burn completely to become fine ash. Feel free to lightly scorch the potatoes with the torch in places. Mix them thoroughly in the ash and return them to the already turned-off oven, where they will wait in the residual heat for serving.
• 5
  Meanwhile, the garlic has cooled enough for you to unwrap it from the foil and squeeze it into a mixing bowl or tall glass. Pour in the sweet cream, add a little salt, and blend smoothly with an immersion blender. A thick paste will form. Transfer it to a saucepan, add the curd, and stir with a small flat whisk while slowly heating. There is no need for the sauce to boil; it tastes much better when you serve it just warm, not boiling. Season it with salt, freshly ground pepper, and, if you like, a few drops of quality truffle oil. Keep the sauce hot in the saucepan over a very low flame.
• 6
  Clean the mushrooms and cut them into thicker slices. Quickly sauté them in a little lard until golden, seasoning with salt and caraway seeds at the end.
• 7
  Finely chop fresh chives or pick dill and serve on a plate – first the sauce, then place the potatoes in ash and salt with flake salt, evenly distribute the sautéed mushrooms, remove the marinated yolks from the marinade and cut them into quarters, place them in the sauce to stand out, sprinkle with chives and optionally cracklings. I also add a few drops of truffle oil and a bit of white pepper on top.