Iconic Houston restaurant Tony’s celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Chef Kate McLean has rebuilt the pasta, caviar, tasting, and cocktail programs to add modern appeal. One of the dishes she introduced a year ago, the Caviar Potato, has become a permanent item on the menu. The dish was inspired by a preparation Tony Vallone would make for his wife, combining a baked potato with butter and a dollop of caviar to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones.
“Caviar Kaspia in Paris became famous for serving caviar on a baked potato mixed with butter,” said McLean. “While I haven’t had the chance to enjoy this dish from Kaspia, I decided to take this classic combination and focus on how to make it the absolute best.” tonyshouston.com
The Potato
Chef McLean and her team choose the smallest Idaho potatoes available because they bake best. They roast the potatoes at 400 degrees until fully cooked, cut a small hole into the top, and scoop out the insides. To crisp the skin, they fry the potatoes and add sea salt. They then partially stuff each one with Tony’s Yukon Gold Butter Whipped Potatoes and Silken Potato, a Yukon Gold Robuchon-style purée aerated through an ISI canister. Lastly, the dish is garnished with chives.
The Caviar
“On top, we garnish it with one ounce of Kaviari caviar. We currently offer four types of Kaviari, and any of them can be served on top,” says McLean. “This caviar is aged 2.5 months and harvested from an 11-year-old sturgeon, which is three years longer than typical. The flavor is briny with woody notes and pairs really well with dairy. It is produced in Paris and harvested in North East Poland.”