Food with Flair Runs in StoneFire Bistro Chef's Family

Eirik Kauserud, executive chef at Brighton's , says it’s not really a surprise he’s in the food business.

“I think I’ve always had an interest in eating,” Kauserud said laughing. “I got a taste of fine dining at a young age.” He said his grandparents would take him to fine restaurants.

Both his mother and his grandfather (his mother's father) were excellent cooks, Kauserud said; his grandfather served as an Army cook. And his great-grandfather on his dad’s side was a pastry chef.

That made it only natural that the 30-year-old Pinckney High School alumni also graduated from Howell High School’s culinary arts program. Kauserud started to work in restaurants in 1997 and began his chef apprenticeship at Oakland Community College in 1999.

He spent a long stint at Rocky’s, followed by four-and-a-half years as the night chef at . There he worked under Bill McConnell, the restaurant’s executive chef, whose tutelage he credits with much of his current success.

Kauserud said StoneFire Bistro’s cuisine “is kind of hard to categorize. Fresh fish is a huge thing here.”

The menu, which also features Italian-American cuisine, recently changed and incorporates daily specials as well as a considerable amount of fresh food stored in a large walk-in refrigerator.

When he’s not at the restaurant, Kauserud enjoys spending time with his wife of seven years, Rebecca, and his four kids: Bethany, 9; Eirik, 7;  Lachlan, 3, and Olive, 11 months. He also spends a fair amount of time as a competitive player and competes about every other weekend.

Kauserud chose to share the Horseradish and Potato-Encrusted Whitefish recipe from the recently revamped StoneFire Bistro menu. He noted that asparagus makes a great side dish to complete the meal. 

He explained that fresh whitefish filets should have no odor and a thin, shiny “slime coat.” Do not use dry or “fishy” smelling fish, he said, it’s old. 

Although he made the dish immediately after grating the potatoes, that step can be done ahead of time.

If making the potatoes in advance, it’s okay to par-cook them lightly. But on no account should they be left in the water, Kauserud said. “That rinses the sugar off the potatoes, which is what makes them delicious.”

Horseradish and Potato-Encrusted Whitefish

Ingredients:

Onion mixture ingredients:

½ red onion, julienned

3 ounces red wine

¼ cup white sugar

Other ingredients:

4 6-ounce fresh whitefish filets

4 ounces Dijon mustard

2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and grated on a box grater

3 ounces shredded fresh horseradish root

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Combine onion mixture ingredients in a nonstick saucepan and reduce over medium heat until dry.
2. Evenly season each piece of fish with salt and pepper to taste. (You can gauge how much salt you've put on by the saturation level of the pepper, which is more visible.)
3. Lightly coat flesh of fish with Dijon mustard.
4. Distribute red onion mixture evenly over all portions of fish
5. Combine shredded potatoes with a little salt and pepper; stir in horseradish. Place mixture in a thin layer over the onions.
6. Preheat an ovenproof sauté pan; cook in the hot pan until potatoes are golden, flip and put in the oven.
7. Cook between six and 12 minutes in a 375-degree F. oven according to desired doneness (six minutes is on the rare side; 12 minutes is well done).
8. Plate and serve.

Former Brighton Patch Editor contributed the ‘Iron Chef’ competition information used in this article.