Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminski and Donna Gelb
Principal photography by Santiago Soto Monllor
Artisan Books, October 2014
Francis Mallmann is definitely on fire. His first book, Seven Fires, was a 2010 IACP* Cookbook Award finalist and a James Beard Award winner. Mallmann appears on his new book’s dust jacket looking as though his poncho is alight – “on fire” figuratively and literally.
Part travelogue, part cookbook, On Fire, written with Peter Kaminski and Donna Gelb, is packed with beautiful photos, many from Patagonia, located at the very tip of South America. Born of a Uruguayan mother in Argentina, Mallmann grew up in the town of Bariloche in Patagonia. He has lived in the USA, France and Italy but calls Patagonia his home.
For this book Mallmann took his portable grill on his travels, anticipating that new lands and ingredients discovered along the way would inspire his creativity. He also wanted to broadcast his message for people to get out and get active.
We learn why he favors cast-iron grills and griddles and wood-fired ovens, though he acknowledges that a cast-iron pan used on the stove indoors or that a conventional oven will also work with his recipes. Some recipes actually require only embers and ashes from a fire pit or a home fireplace. He prefers hardwood lump charcoal for its convenience, rather than raw wood, but never uses charcoal briquettes, which he deems “nasty.” His first book inspired me to acquire a Tuscan grill and try using raw wood for fuel. My results were very good but it was a very hot and somewhat strenuous ground-level job, even with lots of help from my resident former Boy Scout. We now mostly use lump charcoal and a vintage Weber grill.
inspired me to acquire a Tuscan grill and try using raw wood for fuel. My results were very good but it was a very hot and somewhat strenuous ground-level job, even with lots of help from my resident former Boy Scout. We now mostly use lump charcoal and a vintage Weber grill.
The food photography is beautiful and inspiring; photographer Santiago Soto Monllor won the James Beard award, Photography
The food photography is beautiful and inspiring; photographer Santiago Soto Monllor won the James Beard award, Photography category, for Mallmann’s Seven Fires. Almost all of the recipes have inspiring photos and the occasional process shot to illustrate a recipe step.
Mallmann clearly enjoys cooking for a crowd. There are lovely shots from feasts attended by dozens in various al fresco scenarios. He is
shown on the streets of Paris with his portable grill-cum-pushcart, and at his seaside hideaway on the windswept Atlantic coast in Patagonia near to where penguins and seals frolic. More photos from charming Garzón, Uruguay — the rural setting for one of his restaurants — and the tropical splendor of Trancoso, Brazil, keep you turning pages, enthralled. I found the recipes to be well written and uncomplicated to prepare.
Chicken Livers a la Plancha in Charred Endive, a quick griddled recipe, had maximum flavor without fuss; who knew chicken livers could pair with bitter-ish greens and mustard? I liked the versatile garnish, too: a fresh herb “butter” made by chilling extra virgin olive oil with one’s choice of herb.
Mallmann’s simple Beet and Orange Salad with Arugula shines with accents of thyme and feta cheese which complement the earthy beets and arugula perfectly. Smashed Chicken Breast in a Potato Crust with Tomato and Arugula Salad, a riff on Pommes Anna, presents like gourmet fare and is worth a bit of extra attention and temperature adjustments to achieve golden brown perfection. Less successful was the scone recipe, which affirmed my suspicion that this is a cook’s book, not a baker’s; the scones were dry and uninteresting even with butter and jam.
Other chapters cover appetizers and salads, light meals, beef, lamb and pork, birds, fish and shellfish, vegetables and beans, desserts, country breads and basics. At the very end of the book the authors list ‘Some Important Tools’ including a schematic for a portable grill of Mallmann’s own design.
Mallmann is a generous coach whose passion for cooking and love of the outdoors have given us recipes and wonderful photography that beckon the mind to explore. 
*International Association of Culinary Professionals
First published December 2014
Smashed Chicken Breast in a Potato Crust with Tomato and Arugula Salad
Excepted from Mallmann on Fire by Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminski and Donna Gelb, Principal photography by Santiago Soto Monllor, Artisan Books, Copyright October 2014
Because chicken breasts are relatively thick, by the time the inside cooks through, the outside can be tough and lifeless. By pounding the breasts, you can cook the chicken rapidly so that it remains tender and juicy inside its “overcoat” of crisp potato slices. Here you need to monitor the heat so that the potatoes brown and crust over slowly. The result is two kinds of crunchiness, from the seared chicken and the potato crust. When I serve a milanesa (breaded veal chop), I like a fresh garden salad of ripe tomatoes, sharp onions, and greens, so I figured, “If it’s good for the calf, it’s good for the chicken.”
Use the removable bottom of a 9-inch tart pan to flip the chicken. The round shape makes it easier to slide it under the potatoes in a circular scooping motion, which helps the potatoes stick together and remain on the chicken. (If you don’t have one, use one or two wide spatulas.)
Ingredients
- •1 whole boneless chicken breast, skin on, about 1 pound
- •Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- •½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- •2 Idaho (baking) potatoes, scrubbed
- •About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- •About 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- •1 large ripe tomato, cut into bite-sized pieces
- •½ small red onion, sliced very thin
- •1 small bunch arugula, tough stems removed
Preparation
Lay the chicken skin side down on a work surface and pound it with a mallet to a thickness of about ¾ inch. Trim off any ragged edges. Season generously with salt, black pepper, and the red pepper flakes.
Slice the potatoes paper-thin on a mandoline. (Do not rinse or wipe them—you want to retain the starch.) Arrange an overlapping circle of potato slices around the top edge of the chicken, extending about ⅓ inch over the edge. Working toward the center, continue until you have a spiraling layer of potato slices covering the entire surface of the chicken. Press down firmly on the potatoes with the palm of your hand to set them in place.
Heat a chapa or a large cast-iron griddle over medium heat. Brush the hot surface generously with olive oil and dot it with half the butter. When the butter melts and begins to foam, slide the bottom of a metal tart pan beneath the chicken to lift it and invert it, potato side down, onto the hot chapa. Tuck any stray potato slices back in, and cook, undisturbed, for about 12 minutes; watch the edges of the potatoes from the side as they soften, curl, and start to release from the hot surface, becoming crisp and brown on the bottom. Lower the heat if necessary to prevent burning, and add more butter or oil to the chapa as it is absorbed by the potatoes.
When a bamboo skewer pierces the potatoes easily, they are cooked through. Season the chicken skin with salt and pepper, then carefully slide the metal disk underneath the potatoes in the same direction as the spiral, using a deliberate, circular scooping motion to keep the potatoes in line, and flip the chicken over. Cook for about 8 minutes more, blotting up excess fat with a paper towel as necessary, or adding dots of butter or oil if the griddle seems dry. When the chicken is cooked through but still juicy, slide the disk under it again and transfer it to a platter.
Meanwhile, toss the tomato, onion, and arugula together in a bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil. Arrange the salad on top of the chicken, and serve cut into wedges like a pizza.
