Roasted Prawns with Spinach Mashed Potatoes and Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 16 prawns, peeled except for tails and butterflied
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Essence, recipe follows
• 2 cups potatoes, 1/2-inch dice
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 pound fresh spinach
• Salt and white pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped basil
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Garnish:

• 6 fried spinach leaves
• Essence

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season the prawns with the olive oil and Essence. In a hot saute pan, sear the prawns on one side for 1 minute. Place the prawns in the oven and roast for 6 to 8 minutes or until done. For the potatoes: In a sauce pot, combine the potatoes and salted water together. Bring up to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain. Place the cream in a sauce pot and bring up to a boil, remove from the heat. Place the spinach in a food processor and pour in the hot cream. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes back on the stove. Add the spinach cream and butter to the potatoes. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes until fairly smooth. Season with salt and white pepper For the sauce: In a sauce pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the peppers, onions, garlic, basil, cayenne and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the stock and the cream and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. With a hand-held blender, puree the sauce until smooth. Spoon the sauce in the center of the platter. Mound the potatoes in the center of the sauce. Place the prawns around the potatoes. Garnish with fried spinach and Essence.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup