{ RECIPES }
Scrumptious Spuds
Potatoes are so versatile, hot or cold, any time of the year. Some might even say that potatoes are downright addictive.
Try these mouthwatering recipes…
What you need
About 8-10 medium potatoes, scrubbed clean
300 g streaky fatty bacon, diced
1½ cups grated cheese
salt and pepper
To serve: Sour cream & spring onions, finely sliced (green part only)
How to do it
Prepare Potato Skins:
Prick each potato 4 times with a fork, then
cook them in the microwave on high for 8
minutes, then turn the potatoes and micro-
wave on high for another 8 minutes. Use a
sharp knife to cut the potatoes in half. Use
a spoon to scoop out the potato, leaving a
thin skin about ½ cm thick.
Bacon:
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Spread bacon on a tray and bake for 8 minutes, or until LIGHT golden and the fat has melted. Remove bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Reserve bacon fat on tray.
Crisp potato skins:
Place potato skins upside down on the tray. Use a brush to brush the bacon fat on the tray onto the potato skin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the skin is quite crispy.
Fill potato skins:
Remove baking tray from the oven and turn the potato skins over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fill the potato skins with cheese, followed by the bacon. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
To serve:
Serve with a spoon of sour cream on top of each one, sprinkled with spring onions.
How to do it
In a large saucepan heat 1½ tbsp vegetable oil. Add the onion, reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened.
In a large frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil and fry the mince, stirring, until browned all over.
Stir the flour into the onions. Add the bay leaves and parsley.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, stock (keep a little aside, for putting into the mince pan to de-glaze the pan) and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the cooked mince and then pour the reserved stock into the empty mince pan, scraping off any bits of mince left in the pan.
Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly.
What you need
For the mash:
700g potatoes, peeled and halved
55ml milk
85g butter
1 egg yolk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to do it
For the mash, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain well and leave to steam for a few minutes. Add the milk, butter and egg yolk, then mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid to keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C. Pour the meat mixture into a 1.4 litre ovenproof dish and spread the mash on top. Smooth the surface of the mash and use a fork to make lots of ridges (which will go crispy in the oven). Bake until the surface is golden-brown. Serve hot with seasonal veg on the side.
What you need
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed
½ cup oil and vinegar salad dressing
½ tsp grated lemon zest
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups torn lettuce
4 hard-boiled large eggs, sliced
2 tins tuna in water
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
How to do it
Bring potatoes to a boil in a large pot.
Reduce heat; cook uncovered, until tender, for 8-10 minutes. Add green beans during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain potatoes and beans; immediately drop into ice water.
Drain and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine salad dressing, lemon zest and pepper. Put lettuce into a salad bowl and arrange potatoes, green beans, eggs, tuna and tomatoes over lettuce. Serve with dressing mixture.
What you need
about 1 kg baby potatoes
6 slices bacon
1½ cups sour cream – full fat works best
chopped basil and some lemon zest
1 tsp basil pesto
How to do it
Scrub and boil or roast the potatoes. Fork tender, but not falling apart. Chop and fry bacon until it is crispy. Add the basil pesto and some basil leaves to the pan with the bacon and mix well. Drain the cooked potatoes and toss them with the bacon mixture.
Serve with sour cream poured over the top and sprinkle with remaining chopped basil leaves and some lemon zest.
How to do it
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Peel and cut the potatoes into 2 cm cubes. Place in a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients except mozzarella. Mix.
Pour into a 3 litre baking dish(approximately 22cm square x 6 cm high). Cover with foil. Bake 60 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Remove foil, sprinkle over mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden.
Serve hot!
What you need
pre-cooked, seasoned potato fries
1 pack (200 g) diced bacon, fried
For the cheese sauce:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste
How to do it
For the cheese sauce, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously. Slowly whisk in the milk and lower the heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and then add the cheese and seasoning. Keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Place fries on serving plates, sprinkle with bacon bits and pour cheese sauce over the top. Serve hot!
How to prepate the salsa:
Finely chop one of the tomatoes and place in a bowl, then finely grate over the remaining tomato, discarding the skin. Finely chop the pepper and the parsley, reserving half the leaves for later, then add to the bowl. Add to the tomatoes with ½ a tbsp of red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, then toss together and season to taste.
Optional Flavour boost:
Leftover veg can be added to the salsa, like
finely sliced carrot,
parsnip or leek,
courgettes or cucumber,
or even finely chopped fresh chilli.
How to do it
Scrub the potatoes and peel the onion, then cut into wedges and finely slice.
Add potato and onion and seasoning to a saucepan and cook in 2 tbsp oil for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Crack the eggs into a bowl, season, then tip in the cooked potatoes and onions and stir gently for 1 minute. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan, pat it down gently with a spatula, then cover and cook on medium to low for 6 to 7 minutes, or until lightly golden. Loosen the edges with a spatula, then care fully flip over. Cook for a further 2 minutes. Turn out onto a serving dish and top with the salsa. Scatter over the remaining parsley.
What you need
2-3 potatoes peeled and grated
1 medium egg, beaten
1 tsp plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
½ small onion, finely chopped
6 sage leaves, 2 finely chopped, 4 whole
3 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
How to do it
Squeeze any excess water out of the grated potatoes, then tip into a bowl and mix well with the egg, flour, baking powder, onion and chopped sage leaves. Season well. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and spoon the mixture in to make 4 röstis, flattening them down with the back of a spoon into disc shapes. Cook for 5 mins each side until golden brown and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. When ready to serve, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the frying pan over a medium heat. Add the whole sage leaves and cook for 20 secs until crisp but still green. Drain on kitchen paper and top each rösti with a fried sage leaf.
