New Potatoes with Mussels, Mussel Creme and Garlic Croutons

At De Kas we like to use very small potatoes. Drielingen potatoes, for example, are only 3 cm in length, meaning that they cook in no time at all. We grow our own in our garden in the Beemster, but we also source them from our neighbour, Kees Klopper, who supplies us with thick, juicy leeks in the winter too. The quantities that we normally use for this recipe have been adjusted to suit a normal-sized pack of mussels, usually 2 kg in the shops. Serve the rest of the mussels on the side with some extra bread for dipping in the sauce.

First, make the mussel crème. Cook the mussels with the vegetables until all of the shells have opened. Leave to cool. Reduce the cooking juices from the mussels to half the volume. Extract the mussels from their shells and add to a food processor, together with the reduced juices. Add the rest of the ingredients up to and including the garlic and blend to a crème, slowly adding the oil as you go along. Pass through a sieve and store in the fridge.

Tear the bread into large pieces, sprinkle with olive oil, place in an ovenproof dish with a few cloves of garlic and roast for around 10 minutes in the oven at 350°F. Make sure the croutons are nice and crunchy. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes in water with a pinch of salt and drain.

Heat a saucepan, cook the mussel vegetables in a little oil or butter for a few minutes and then add the mussels. Turn up the heat and add the white wine, beer or water. Cover with a lid and cook the mussels for around 5 minutes. Drain the mussels and retain the cooking juices. Reduce the juices a little - to make the flavour more intense - and then add the butter and blend with a hand blender until you have a smooth sauce.

Add a few potatoes to a plate and spoon some of the mussel crème on top. Add a few mussels and some croutons. You can serve the mussels with or without their shells. Pour over the sauce and garnish with fennel fronds
and flowers.