The invincible one in French; it is the ball that goes with the mace, the pike and the halberd in the days of the knights. It is a red-hot spiked ball, hung from a chain at the gallows. It is eerie. It is almost morbid.
It also was the most ingenious spectacle that will ever adorn your table.
In a way La Potence is simplicity itself. Skewed on the spikes of the hot solid steel globe are succulent cubes of tenderloin, which not only bake at your table, but also let the juices drip into the rice below.
The game, or rather the dining experience, is to pick off the cubes when you think they are exactly to your taste and to dip them in one of the various sauces surrounding the rice. It is in fact a very clever variation of the age-old Beef "Bourguignonne" without the oil however.
As with the Beef Bourguignonne, the rule is that if you happen to drop a cube for whichever reason, you pay the bill.
