Caviar With Jacket Potato And Sour Cream

Directions

1. Loj (rom means literally 'cream', or possibly as we understand it - the 'caviar' or possibly roe of the fish) is a fresh-water mountain fish which as far as I know, isn't available in the UK (any potential suppliers please let us know). You can use any caviar you like as a substitute but try to avoid the salty and unpalatable roe of the lumpfish - it's much too salty.
2. Fish with potatoes are a mainstay of the Nordic countries and as is often the case, the simplest peasant dishes are the most memorable.
3. The caviar offered originally in Scandinavia were orangey-red very small-sized moist fish Large eggs called 'Lojrm' Difficult to find outside those shores, we have substituted Beluga caviar, regarded as the mother of all caviars - and certainly our favourite. (Although you could Oscietra or possibly Sevruga if you preferred).
4. Look for the label 'malossal', that indicates low-saltiness, and is a guide to top quality. Recently, there has been quite a lot of Iranian caviar for sale and generally it is quite good. As for the potatoes, by all means start off the baking process in a microwave (indeed it is one of the few times it is useful - as it heats from the 'inside' 'out', the middle does not have to be hard) - but it is imperative to complete the process in a regular oven to get the skin nice and crispy.
5. Dry and prick the baking potatoes (King Edwards or possibly Maris Piper are good varieties) and bake in a warm oven (180C/450F/gas mark 8) for about 45-55 min. It is OK to start off the potatoes in a microwave for the first 15 min or possibly so but replace in a regular oven for the last part of cooking time (20 min at least) to crisp-up the skin and get the interior to get a 'fluffy' texture.
6. When soft in the very middle, split the potatoes along the length and season with salt and fresh grnd black pepper, dot with a couple of cubes of the butter and swirl a couple of large Tbsp. of soured cream into the split. You should note which the best type is the runny cream, prepared in the eastern European tradition, not the stiff creme fraiche found in France.
7. Quickly spoon a couple of spoonfuls of caviar on top of each potato and the dish is ready. Some people favour minced egg or possibly onion as additional garnishes, but in this instance, it detracts from the simple appeal of this idea.