Sometimes I get ideas out of the blue, and this is a typical example. I was intending to make a potato cake from mashed potatoes which are pressed into a hot, oiled, frying pan to brown on both sides, but just as I was getting ready to put them into the frying pan I thought "I wonder what would happen if I stirred an egg into these before I fry them?". So I did, and the result was a delightful, fluffy, light cake. They accompanied the Boeuf Bourguignon very nicely.
Ingredients
5 medium sized yellow potatoes, such as Rooster
1 egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
oil to grease a non-stick frying pan (I used a wok)
Method
Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Put them into a pan of boiling, salted water and simmer until they are just tender to the point of a knife. Drain and then mash them, checking seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Oil a non-stick frying pan and put over a hot heat. Stir the beaten egg into the potato mixture and press the mixture into the frying pan, smoothing the top surface. Reduce the heat and allow the potato mixture to crisp and brown underneath (about 5 minutes). Put a plate over the frying pan and invert the pan so that the potato cake drops onto the plate. Slide the cake back into the pan so that the other side of the cake can crisp and brown for another 5 minutes. Slide or invert the pan again to put the cake onto a serving plate. Serve cut into wedges.
Showing posts with label potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potatoes. Show all posts
Monday, 2 April 2012
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Potato cubes
I made these to go with grilled Mackerel with tomatoes and capers, but they would go very well with chicken, or as part of a buffet.
Ingredients:
About a pound of yellow/waxy potatoes, like Roosters
A good glug of Olive oil
Splash of White wine
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Clove of garlic
Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 cm. cubes. Slice the garlic very finely. Put everything into a frying pan over a medium heat (I used a non-stick wok) and stir to mix. Allow the wine to evaporate, stirring occasionally, then as the frying sound starts, let the edges of the potatoes crisp and turn them from time to time. When the potatoes are tender to the point of a knife, drain and serve hot.
These would probably be best made in portions no larger than indicated above, since you want every potato piece to be in contact with the oil at all times.
Amazingly tasty and easy to make, although you might have to dance a little at the end to stop the potatoes from breaking up.
Ingredients:
About a pound of yellow/waxy potatoes, like Roosters
A good glug of Olive oil
Splash of White wine
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Clove of garlic
Method:
Peel the potatoes and cut into 2 cm. cubes. Slice the garlic very finely. Put everything into a frying pan over a medium heat (I used a non-stick wok) and stir to mix. Allow the wine to evaporate, stirring occasionally, then as the frying sound starts, let the edges of the potatoes crisp and turn them from time to time. When the potatoes are tender to the point of a knife, drain and serve hot.
These would probably be best made in portions no larger than indicated above, since you want every potato piece to be in contact with the oil at all times.
Amazingly tasty and easy to make, although you might have to dance a little at the end to stop the potatoes from breaking up.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Food with a pulse
I saw a ham hock for sale and immediately got this idea for a lentil/bean/ham/pork soup/stew.
First step was to pull all the meat from the bone, leaving it in bite-sized pieces. I then simmered the bones and rind for an hour or so to get a salty, hammy stock. Lentils don't soften properly if you cook them in salted water, so I cooked half a packet of red lentils in fresh water until they were completely mushed and had absorbed all the water. In the meantime, I peeled and quartered some potatoes and simmered them in the ham stock for a few minutes to absorb the flavour - I didn't want them to soften very much, so took them out to drain. A few remnants of some pancetta lardons were put into a large iron casserole to render and I cut some smoked pork sausages into chunks and browned them in the casserole. Then I threw in two sliced onions and softened them gently along with the meats. I added the drained potatoes and stirred around to coat them with the contents of the casserole. The stock, ham pieces, a handful of chopped parsley, a large grind of black pepper, a squirt of tomato puree and the lentils followed, and the contents were stirred and cooked over a very gentle heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently and keeping the mix liquid by adding a little water when necessary. I then threw in a can of drained butter beans and let it all bubble for a few minutes more.
Eat with a spoon and fork.
This dish demonstrates a technique that I often use: mixing and returning flavours between ingredients to maximise and deepen the flavours. The whole thing could be made much more simply by just adding all the ingredients together and simmering, but the result wouldn't be nearly as good. The timing of adding the beans also makes sure that there are different textures in the finished dish: the crunchy lardons, the soft lentils, softening potatoes and the beans just beginning to crack. Absolutely delicious, and just great for a very cold evening.
First step was to pull all the meat from the bone, leaving it in bite-sized pieces. I then simmered the bones and rind for an hour or so to get a salty, hammy stock. Lentils don't soften properly if you cook them in salted water, so I cooked half a packet of red lentils in fresh water until they were completely mushed and had absorbed all the water. In the meantime, I peeled and quartered some potatoes and simmered them in the ham stock for a few minutes to absorb the flavour - I didn't want them to soften very much, so took them out to drain. A few remnants of some pancetta lardons were put into a large iron casserole to render and I cut some smoked pork sausages into chunks and browned them in the casserole. Then I threw in two sliced onions and softened them gently along with the meats. I added the drained potatoes and stirred around to coat them with the contents of the casserole. The stock, ham pieces, a handful of chopped parsley, a large grind of black pepper, a squirt of tomato puree and the lentils followed, and the contents were stirred and cooked over a very gentle heat for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently and keeping the mix liquid by adding a little water when necessary. I then threw in a can of drained butter beans and let it all bubble for a few minutes more.
Eat with a spoon and fork.
This dish demonstrates a technique that I often use: mixing and returning flavours between ingredients to maximise and deepen the flavours. The whole thing could be made much more simply by just adding all the ingredients together and simmering, but the result wouldn't be nearly as good. The timing of adding the beans also makes sure that there are different textures in the finished dish: the crunchy lardons, the soft lentils, softening potatoes and the beans just beginning to crack. Absolutely delicious, and just great for a very cold evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)