Romaine lettuce hearts filled with herb and potato mash with pimientos, tomato and bacon jus on a red wine base

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 1 head of romaine lettuce heart(s)
• 3 m.-large potatoes, waxy
• some parsley, finely chopped
• some tarragon, finely chopped
• some lovage, finely chopped
• e.g. nutmeg, grated
• n. B. Salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 tbsp, heaped bacon
• 4 cocktail tomatoes
• 8 roasted peppers (Pimientos de Padrón)
• 1 tsp, heaped vegetable stock powder
• 1 shot of red wine
• possibly vinegar or water, as desired
• e.g. salt and pepper
• e.g. paprika powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

a perfect second course before the main course

Trim the individual romaine lettuce leaves and arrange three on each plate. Peel the potatoes, dice them finely (to reduce cooking time), and place them in a small pot of boiling water. Add salt to taste. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the gravy. To do this, fry the bacon in a small pan. After about 5 minutes (before the bacon becomes crispy, but has already developed a roasted aroma), add the sliced ​​pimientos and the diced cherry tomatoes. The tomato juices will simmer everything slightly, allowing the bacon flavor to infuse. Add a tablespoon of bouillon powder and deglaze with a generous splash of red wine. Let it reduce. If necessary, add vinegar (if the red wine is too low in acidity for your taste) or water to create more gravy. When the consistency is desired, season with salt, pepper, and paprika as needed – depending on the vegetable bouillon powder used (store-bought or homemade). For the filling, drain the diced potatoes. Add parsley, lovage, tarragon, and a generous pinch of nutmeg, if desired. Mash the potatoes. To serve, place 2-3 tablespoons of herb-mashed potatoes on each romaine leaf. Then dollop the pimientos, tomato, and bacon jus over the top and serve. Tips: The jus can be varied without bacon, for example, but with smoked salt and another vegetable of your choice, such as baby green beans. Remove the seeds from the pimientos before adding them; otherwise, there will simply be too many in the jus. A perfect second course before the main course.