Bacon & Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes - jackets with knobs on!

When I decided to put these twice baked potatoes on the menu plan for this week, I imagined that I would have a recipe here on the blog to consult where quantities were concerned.  Well I was wrong!  I seriously can't quite believe that I haven't blogged the recipe for these little darlings, mostly because they're so NICE!

Now, having made them again without following any recipe but relying on my (patchy, at best) memory of what to use and how much, I appear to have made the best version of these baked potatoes, to date.  All of which necessitated a blog entry, so that I can re-create them in future.

They are very simple to make and don't take much longer than a standard jacket potato.  You just need to allow a bit of time for filling the potato shells and putting them back into the oven to finally bake.  Making the filling is a little bit fiddly, but can easily be done while the potatoes are baking, so no worries there.

In this instance, I served the potatoes with some leftover gammon ham, juicy tomatoes and homemade coleslaw.  However, finding something to serve them with really shouldn't be difficult - they can be lunch, the star of the show, a side dish or even a standalone item in a finger buffet (so long as you let them cool down a bit!).

So the next time you find yourself with two rashers of bacon (or some ham) that are homeless - break out the twice baked potato and do yourself a super-tasty favour.

BACON & CHEDDAR TWICE BAKED POTATOES   (serves 3)

Ingredients :

3 large baking potatoes (floury are best - I like Marabel type)
a drizzle of rapeseed or olive oil
sea salt & ground black pepper
2 rashers of smoked back bacon
1 heaped tsp of sour cream or mayonnaise
1 tsp of wholegrain mustard
2-3 spring onions, sliced finely on the diagonal
200g & 50g mature cheddar cheese, grated.

Method :

Pre-heat your oven to 200degC/400degF/Gas 6.

Taking each baking potato, cut each in half long-ways.  If necessary, shave a tiny amount from the underside of each half, so that it will sit level and steady on a baking tray.

Drizzle each half with oil and season lightly with sea salt & black pepper, then place into the oven - on a high rack - to bake for 45mins.

While the potatoes are baking, make the filling.

Grill the two rashers of bacon until cooked through and the fat rendered, but not crispy.  Set them aside to cool.

Into a large heatproof bowl, place the spring onions, sour cream, mustard and bulk of the cheese.  Reserve the 50g of cheese for sprinkling over the filled potatoes.  Cut the bacon into tiny pieces and add to the bowl.

When the potatoes are soft and baked golden brown on top, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool slightly in order for them to be handled.  Using a teaspoon, gently remove the bulk of the cooked flesh from inside each half and add it to the filling bowl.  Replace the empty shell onto the baking tray.  

Break up the potato flesh using a fork and mix lightly into the rest of the ingredients.  Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary.

Spoon the filling back into the shells, making sure not to pack it down.  Leave each spoonful light and airy for a deliciously luscious look.  Once the filling is evenly distributed, divide the remainder of the grated cheese between each potato half, sprinkling it over the top.

Place the potatoes back into the oven for 15-20 mins until golden brown and delicious.

Serve with your choice of accompaniment.

Printable version

Turkey Tortilla Bake

I don't remember when I spotted the original recipe on BBC Good Food - which you can find here - but it was some time ago.  I bookmarked it, thinking it bore further investigation and only recently rediscovered it when I was having a bit of an American/Mexican thing going on with the menu plan.

You will, no doubt, have gathered that I tend to gravitate towards simple recipes.  Ones that don't require much "dotting about the kitchen", doing this bit over here and that bit over there - basically, because I just don't have the legs for "dotting about".  So I go for recipes that demand a) some preparation of ingredient activity, i.e. chopping, grating, etc. and b) some "putting in a pan in order, stirring and heating" activity.  Those sorts of recipes are just great for when my legs aren't behaving too well and trundling around the kitchen dragging my perching stool behind me is too much to contemplate.

Sometimes, however, these recipes that are reputed to be "simple" are rather more "dull" than "easy to make".  Once you have a bit of cooking time under your belt - I don't like to think how long I've got racked up now - you can spot these dull recipes before they ever reach the stove.  However, occasionally, one will still slip through the net.  So, when I was reading this recipe through and seriously contemplating cooking it, I was evaluating whether a) I had got the ingredients already, b) how much the required extra ingredients would cost and c) what the end result would be of combining all these ingredients.  Well, a) was good - I'd got almost all of the ingredients already, b) was "eminently affordable" and c) was "could do with a bit of help".

So.  What to do, to help the flavours along and boost this from what appeared to be a potentially mediocre flavoured dish, to something that would deliver a good old flavoursome meal.

Well, for starters, it was billed as being a "chilli con carne" with a tortilla top.  So, if you're making a chilli con carne, where's the garlic?  Got to have garlic!  The chipotle chilli paste they used would deliver quite a strongly smoky flavour, whereas I had just chipotle chillis and not paste.  So to bolster that smokiness - and a chilli has to have paprika in it - I thought I'd add some sweet smoked paprika.  Better to use sweet than hot smoked paprika, I thought, as I didn't want to overdo the peppery heat.  However, if you're into chillis that leave you feeling like one of Daenerys Targaryen's dragons, then by all means step up the chilli effect.

A chilli needs some herbage, in my opinion, so as my herb of choice at the time was oregano, that got included on the ingredients list.  Now thinking about the tomato side of things, tomato puree and tomato ketchup were a given - both of which aide and abet the whole tomato thing that goes on with chilli con carne.  The tomato puree richens the flavour base and tomato ketchup adds that tasty mix of spicy flavours and subtle sweetness.  If you have never put either of them into your chilli con carne, I recommend you give it a go one day.

After that, it was just a simple matter of bolstering the chicken/turkey flavour combo by adding some of Essential Cuisine's yummy chicken stock powder.  A half a low salt stock cube would do at a pinch, or a teaspoonful of chicken bouillion powder - but be careful that the stock you use doesn't taste too much of the stock vegetables and not enough of chicken.  It's the savouriness of the chicken flavour that you're after here.

So having decided to use that lot, the original recipe didn't really bear much resemblance to its new and improved version.

However, do you see how easy it is sometimes, to take what appears to be a jolly good idea of a recipe, but one that might not deliver on flavour - and with a few thoughtful additions and/or changes, upgrade it to something special?  I sincerely hope that is what happens to recipes of mine that you find here.  I'd love it if you took the recipe and did something different with it - and everyone approved.  Let me know if you do, as I'm as open to suggestions as the next person!

The end result of the recipe below, is a richly tomato flavoured, interestingly spiced but not challengingly hot, tasty and satisfying weekday dinner.  We loved it.  I'd have been very happy to have had any leftovers for lunch the following day, but regrettably, we ate the lot.  I really liked the tortilla chip layer on top, with the melted cheese that held it together.  The heat from the chilli layer below stopped the cheese from setting up hard and everything went beautifully with everything else.

I served the Turkey Tortilla Bake with a small garden salad and some gorgeous home made guacamole.  Any excuse to have guacamole always goes down well with hubby and I.  I think any kind of salad would go well with the bake and if you were feeling carbilicious, you could even put some potato wedges with it for an extra fill up.

Remarkable as it may seem, I don't have any Cook's Tips for you with this one!  It really is simplicity itself to make, with very few areas where a novice cook might potentially trip up.

TURKEY TORTILLA BAKE    (serves 3)

Ingredients :

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
500g turkey mince
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp paprika (unsmoked)
half a chipotle chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp chicken stock powder (or half a stock cube)
100g tinned sweetcorn
220g tinned red kidney beans 
lightly salted tortilla chips
150g mature cheddar cheese, grated (or to taste)
jalapeno chilli slices (if you like them!)
1 tbsp fresh chopped chives for garnish.

Method :

1.  In a deep flameproof casserole dish, cook the onions and garlic in the oil for 8 mins until soft. Stir in the mince and add a bit more oil, if needed. Turn up the heat and cook for 5-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until the mince is browned and just beginning to turn golden where it contacts with the pan.

2.  Stir in the cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chilli and oregano.

3.  Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato ketchup, chicken stock powder and half a can of water, and simmer until the ingredients have combined nicely. Mix in the beans and sweetcorn, and bring to a lively simmer - stirring regularly - to reduce the liquid until the sauce is thick, piping hot and the mince is cooked.

4.  Heat the grill. Take the pan off the heat and quickly put the tortilla triangles randomly but evenly on top. Scatter over the cheese (and jalapeno slices if you like them) and grill for a few minutes until the tortillas are crisp, taking care that they don’t burn.

Sprinkle with a few chopped chives (which I didn't have, at the time) and serve.

Printable version

Greek style gorgeousness - Chickaleekaka!

Well, what a thing of great beauty this recipe turned out to be!  I found it on Petit Chef, in a vegetarian version without the chicken (and other bits), here.  I really liked the combination of flavours and was intrigued by the use of the white wine.  However it didn't have enough "oomph" for my menfolk as a main course, yet seemed too heavy for a side dish.  So after a bit of mental juggling with a few protein sources such as ham (which I'm sure would be great, but good ham is hard to find for an affordable price), salmon, smoked haddock or sausage - I decided to continue the theme of delicate flavours and go with chicken.  After all, chicken and wine, chicken and leek, chicken and cheese, all go well together and it certainly isn't going to argue with eggs!

Just baked - and you can see the importance of the cheesy crust.

Yes, it takes a little bit of fiddling around as it's a three-stage dish where cooking and assembly is concerned, but if you start early and leave yourself a bit of time in which to give the ingredients the respect they deserve, it really isn't difficult at all.  I served mine with a tomato, spinach & red kidney bean salad (primarily for me!) and a few garlic butter doughballs (as a bit more carbohydrate for the menfolk).

Evaporating the wine.

This family all have a marked soft spot for a Greek recipe - there's something about the ingredients and the style of cooking that just hits the spot with us.  It must be the rich/healthy combination of a baked dish paired with a side salad, using indulgent ingredients like cheese and eggs, plus juicy tomatoes and healthy spinach.  Put it this way, not one person had an ounce of anything left on their plate, so it must have been good!

I was very interested to see how the wine infused itself into the chicken and suffused the leeks with a subtle but very much "there" flavour of sunshine and fruit which added the necessary acidity to cut through the richness of the Bechamel and cheese.  I added a small amount of thyme for an additional layer of flavour, which worked beautifully and didn't swamp the dill at all.

The additional mustard in the Bechamel was a great idea too, as it gave the mild, creamy sauce just that tiny edge which stopped it from becoming too much.

I can hear you wondering what cook's tips I might have for you about this one.  Well, as it happens, I do have a few!

Now you might wonder why I used skimmed milk, but added double cream.  Well, I wanted a richness through the sauce but not too much and considered that using semi-skimmed milk would mean I had to reduce the amount of cream I used.  Using the skimmed gave a perfect balance between milk and cream that didn't make the sauce too heavy.

However, the biggest tip I have for you is to make the Chickaleekaka (which, by the way, is a combination of "chicken", "leek" and "Moussaka-like-thing") in a dish which you've lined with non-stick silver foil, so that once cooked, you can lift it out of the dish and onto a chopping board.  From there, you can gently peel down the edges of the silver foil and the Chickaleekaka should stay, in one set piece, without collapse.  (The eggs are fundamental in this as they are what cause the lower layer to set).  You can then cut it into neat portions which helps to make it look that little bit more deliciously intriguing - and you don't lose those lovely crusty edges by leaving them in the dish!

A quick word about what size dish you choose might be in order, too.  You need to make the Chickaleekaka in a dish that is deep enough to give you a good 1-2cm of chicken & leek, with a nice deep layer of Bechamel on top.  Use too big a dish and it will be spread too sparsely.  Far better to go small - but deep - than too big and shallow.

My tomato/spinach/kidney bean/cress "hot plate" salad.

As for what would you serve alongside the Chickaleekaka, well I went for a "hot plate" salad, i.e. a salad that could be served on a hot plate.  This consists of items that can stand up to heat - so tomato, baby spinach, red kidney beans and cress were my choice on this occasion, but the possibilities are endless.  Just steer clear of things that wilt quickly like iceberg lettuce, if you're going to be serving it on a hot plate!

I know I'm going to be making this again very soon - and I'd really love to hear what you think of it, if you give it a go too.  So do leave me a message, if you try it!

CHICKALEEKAKA    (serves 4) 

Ingredients :

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced small

500g leeks, sliced small

half a tsp white pepper

a tiny pinch of sea salt

half a tsp of dried thyme

100ml (or thereabouts) dry white wine
20g fresh dill, finely chopped
3 large eggs
250g mature cheddar cheese, grated.

For the Bechamel :

3 tbsp of salted butter

4 tbsp of plain flour

a generous pinch of white pepper

a tiny pinch of sea salt 

350ml of skimmed milk

2 tbsp double cream

half a tsp Dijon mustard

half a tsp of fresh grated nutmeg

20g parmesan cheese, grated

50g mature cheddar cheese, grated.

Method :

1.  Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and once hot, add the chicken.  Spread the chicken across the pan to cook evenly, as it won't take long, being such small pieces.  Toss the chicken a few times to make sure every side is coloured - but don't allow it to turn golden.

2.  Once the chicken is coloured but not cooked through, add the leeks and seasoning.  Continue to fry until the leeks are softened.  You will need to toss and stir regularly to prevent the pan contents from colouring further.

3.  Add the wine and continue to toss and stir until the wine has all but evaporated and the pan is almost dry.

4.  Decant the chicken & leeks into a large pyrex bowl  and set aside to cool for 5 minutes or so.

5.  Once cooled, add the dill, crack the eggs in and add the grated cheese.  Mix and stir until everything is evenly distributed.  Set aside, while you make the Bechamel sauce.

6.  In a medium pan, set the butter to melt and add the flour, salt and pepper.  Allow the flour to cook out gently for 3 or 4 minutes, but don't allow it to brown.

7.  Add a little of the milk and stir it through.  The mix will set up quickly, so take if off the heat and keep adding a little milk, then stirring - you will probably need to swap to a hand whisk - until you have a saucy textured mix which is somewhat wetter than you would require.  Add the cream, mustard and nutmeg and whisk them through, then put the pan back on the heat and keep stirring or whisking as it heats through to simmering point.  If the mix becomes too thick, add a little more milk - but not too much, or it will quickly become too thin.  You're after a consistency reminiscent of thick custard.

8.  Take your baking dish (I used a small roasting dish that I lined with non stick silver foil) and decant the chicken & leek mixture into it, making sure to push it into the corners and level off the top surface.

9.  Pour the Bechamel over the top and again, encourage it to form a smooth layer.

10.  Sprinkle first the parmesan, then the cheddar, over the top so that the surface is entirely coated.  This will form the gorgeous cheesy crust - too little cheese and the crust will be patchy at best.

11.  Place into a pre-heated oven at 180degC/350degF/Gas4 for 30-35 minutes or until the top is a gorgeous golden brown.

12.  Remove from the oven and allow to settle for 5-10 minutes before serving with a side salad.

Printable version

3 Cheese & Leek Tart - it's all down to taste!

It’s a funny thing, taste.  No, not “taste”, as in flavour – but “taste” as in “preference”.

What got me thinking along these lines was the Three Cheese Tart that I made for dinner last night.

It was fairly unassuming, involving Ricotta, Maasdam and Cheddar cheese, all bound together with eggs and cream and flavoured with leeks and tarragon.  It smelled wonderful when it was cooking (well, baking cheese – doesn’t it always?) and looked very promising when baked.

I served it with a mixed salad, involving rocket leaves, celery, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and a finely sliced nectarine, along with some marinated beetroot, for added zing.

It garnered three very different reactions from the family.  Hubby didn’t like the texture of the filling and felt that the tarragon was too strong.  Our son felt it didn’t have enough flavour and would have preferred some bacon in it, or more leeks.  I thought it was fabulous just the way it was!

How curious, that we should all have had such different reactions.

Hubby’s dislike of the texture isn’t altogether surprising as the texture was fairly “foamy” from the use of Ricotta and he's not good with "foamy".  However, as the tart was billed as having a “cheesecake” sort of texture, I had thought it would pass muster – as cheesecake is one of hubby’s favourite things.

Our son’s opinion that the tart required bacon was easily explained if you know what a carnivore he is.  To be faced with a meal completely devoid of meat, was something of a shock to the system, I think.  Add to that our accepted opinion that everything is made better with bacon – and you can understand why he chose bacon as his preferred addition.

The tarragon was right up there in the flavour profile and, ordinarily, hubby approves of the aniseed flavour.  Not in this tart, however.  I was surprised at how strongly the tarragon came over and I will admit that it took a couple of goes before I got used to it and began to like it.  You can always reduce the amount you use, if you're nervous about this aspect of the flavour.  However, I loved the texture and didn’t, as so often happens, find myself feeling bilious before the end of the piece.  It is often the way that the tart fillings that hubby enjoys the most are the ones that leave me feeling bilious.

There are, of course, foods and dishes that the entire family love and result in clean plates all round.  But it just goes to show what a lottery this cooking malarkey can be.  Even though, as the family’s cook, you take into account everyone’s likes and dislikes when planning a meal, you just can’t legislate for individual taste.

What makes us particular about our food?  What makes hubby (for instance) truly dislike the flavour of potatoes, yet our son and myself consider potato to be a staple?

What is it in our son, that makes him dislike cooked tomatoes?  He’ll happily devour fresh cherry tomatoes by the handful – but if he finds one in his Spaghetti Bolognese, it gets hooked out and stays on the side of the plate.

Then there’s me – who can and will eat just about everything.  At one time, I couldn’t (digestively) cope with onions – right up until I was pregnant.  Prior to being pregnant, I hated the smell of fish and rarely ate any that wasn’t in batter.  What was it about being pregnant that flicked a switch somewhere inside me and enabled me to eat onions without anything untoward occurring – and made me crave fish?

I do think that there’s a lot of learned responses with regard to food – such as our son’s liking for coffee flavoured chocolate.  This follows on from both hubby’s and my own liking for the same thing.  However, we both also like cooked tomato – so that’s where the argument for learned responses falls down.

Then there’s a subconscious reaction to a foodstuff – such as our son’s abhorrence towards cooked mushrooms.  To him, they both look and feel (on the tongue) like a slug would feel on the tongue (so far as I know, he’s never tried a slug on his tongue).  Surely that’s just a self-preservation thing, a subconscious need to not take in anything that might make you ill.  Perhaps, as adults, we’ve been able to get over that subconscious impulse and the knowledge of how yummy a mushroom can be, has won the battle.

I blame the brain.  There’s so much we don’t understand about how our brains work – and taste is just one of the tips of the very many icebergs involved.

So do you have a peculiar like or dislike with regard to food?  Do share!

3 CHEESE & LEEK TART with NECTARINE SALAD  (Tart serves 4-6, salad serves 3)

Ingredients :

500g pack of shortcrust pastry (or make your own)
knob of butter
2 large leeks, sliced thinly
250g ricotta cheese
100ml double cream
2 eggs
2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
100g Maasdam cheese or similar (Gruyere is the obvious, but more expensive option), grated or chopped finely
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the salad :

Salad leaves (iceberg lettuce and rocket were my choices)
half a tub of mustard cress
7cm piece of cucumber, skinned, quartered and sliced thinly
9 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 cocktail sized marinated beetroot, halved (ours were marinated in raspberry vinegar & mint)
a ripe nectarine, stone removed, quartered and sliced thinly.

METHOD :

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas4.

2.  Roll out the pastry and use it to line the bottom of a 23cm tart tin.  Line with crumpled greaseproof paper (crumpled fits better, once you've straightened it back out again!) and baking beans.

3.  Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes.

4.  Reduce the oven temperature to 160degC/325degF/Gas3.

5.  While the pastry is baking, melt the butter in a large pan and add the leeks.  Gently cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened.  Set aside to cool a little.

6.  Beat together the ricotta, cream, eggs, tarragon and some seasoning.

7.  In a small bowl, combine the two hard cheeses together and toss lightly to mix them well.

8.  Stir the leeks and all but a handful of the cheese in to the eggy mixture.

9.  Pour the mixture into the tart case and scatter over the remaining cheese.

10.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set in the middle.

11.  Take a large bowl and add all the salad ingredients, except the beetroot.  Toss lightly, with your fingers, to ensure everything is evenly distributed.

12.  When ready to serve, add the beetroot to the salad, taking care not to let it cover everything and turn it pink!

13.  Once the tart is baked, leave it to settle and firm up for 5-10 minutes, after which it should be easy to cut and remove from the tin.

Serve

Printable version

Tenderstem Rarebit - a "Tenderstem in Ten" recipe!

Hubby will complain bitterly about broccoli appearing on the menu too often, but even he has been heard to exclaim that where tenderstem broccoli is concerned, "it is as nice as asparagus".  With which I completely agree.

I remember when son & heir was a little chap being weaned onto veggies, we used to call broccoli "trees" and he was sufficiently intrigued to eat them.  Since then, he's been accepting "trees" on his plate without too much complaint and has even been known to enjoy having "tall trees" (or tenderstem broccoli) for dinner.

For those who think that it is just a matter of difference in shape, rather than flavour, the tenderstem has a much sweeter flavour than "ordinary" broccoli, with less of a cabbage flavour than Purple Sprouting broccoli.  It is true that it is more expensive than your ordinary broccoli, but for a meal that you want to be a little bit special, it makes the grade beautifully.

So, when I was asked whether I'd like to take part in the "Tenderstem in Ten" challenge (to create a recipe that can be on the table in ten minutes or less), it seemed like it could be fun!

I had my first go at the challenge yesterday and my recipe for a lunch time Tenderstem Rarebit had a few teething troubles - none of which involved the tenderstem itself, I hasten to add - which sent it over time.  Add to that my inability to get around my kitchen with anything faster than a snail's pace - and you begin to realise that making anything edible within ten minutes is quite a feat!

For instance, is the time from when you set foot in the kitchen, or from when you start the cooking process?  If it's the former, then I've had it for all the challenges - but if it's the latter, then I'm in with a shout.

I often find, when I'm cooking something that involves a number of different processes, that my disabilities get right in the way.  Take the Tenderstem Rarebit, for instance.  I needed to grill the Ciabatta rolls to toast them, whilst the tenderstem simmered and the rarebit cooked on the hob.  Now, I forgot that I can't use the grill at the same time as the hob - it's one or the other, because I need to sit at the cooker.  Our cooker has the grill immediately under the hob and with the grill door open, I can't reach the back burners on the hob!  Anyway, I'm always scared I'll set my t-shirt on fire trying to see into the pans on the front burners.  That'd be a bit of a distraction, if ever that happened!

So, for you, you'll be able to combine operations in a way that was impossible for me - and save at least seven minutes doing so!  For me, I'll be grilling the cut rolls on a grillpan in future - at least then I can see what's going on without fear of combustion.

I can tell you that it is very worthwhile.  Hoooo, yes!  This Tenderstem Rarebit recipe is going to go on the list of "can we have it for lunch again soon" recipes.

I figured that as broccoli and cheese are natural partners, and cheese on toast is another natural partnership, that bringing them all together in this recipe might just work.  It did.  With bells on.  As a control experiment, I made one Tenderstem Rarebit and one just with the Rarebit topping - and the Tenderstem Rarebit was far easier to eat as the flavour of the tenderstem allowed some relief from the enormous (and gorgeous) flavours of the rarebit.  The sweetness of the tenderstem was a lovely foil for the big savoury flavours of the cheese, mustard and stout.

Son & heir thoroughly enjoyed his helping and munched his way stolidly through, murmuring in appreciation, uttering "gorgeous!" and "cor!" every so often - so I think he approved.  Hubby and I were both agreed that it was a do-again recipe that was much nicer with the tenderstem than without - and one that could easily be a substantial snack on those days when one has missed lunch!

Hence, I leave it up to you to have a go and tell me whether you managed to create your Tenderstem Rarebit in ten minutes.  I am quite sure it's do-able, so long as you do all your preparation (getting everything out, separating the eggs, grating the cheese, etc.)  before you start the ten minute timer!


TENDERSTEM RAREBIT   (serves 3)


Ingredients :


3 ciabatta rolls, cut in half lengthwise
12 stems of Tenderstem broccoli (or more if they are thin stems), cut to fit the ciabatta rolls
1½ tsp English mustard powder
4 tbsp stout
45g butter
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, to taste
 250g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
3 egg yolks
freshly ground black pepper.

Method :

1.  Boil a kettle and pour enough boiling water into a saucepan to cook the tenderstem, and place on the heat.

2.  Place the rolls, cut side up, under the grill or onto a grillpan and toast until lightly browned.  Turn and toast the other side.

3.  At the same time, add the tenderstem to the boiling water and set a timer for 3 minutes.  When they are cooked (when a knife inserted into the stem goes through without complaint), drain and set to one side.

4.  Place the mustard powder, stout and butter into a small saucepan and heat gently until the butter is melted.  Add the worcestershire sauce and the cheese and stir until the cheese is all melted but take care not to let it boil.  Set aside to cool for a moment, while you rescue your rolls that are threatening to burn.


5.  If you've used a grill pan, now is the time to get your cooker's grill heating up.


6.  Place the roll halves onto the grill pan and distribute the tenderstem broccoli across the roll halves.


7.  Add the egg yolks to the cooled (and hopefully thickened) cheese mixture and beat them through until completely incorporated.  Add a little black pepper.


8.  Spoon the cheese mixture across the tenderstem and place under the grill until browned and bubbling.


Serve.

Printable version

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Potato, cheese & leek "Pie"

Absolutely the first thing to be said about this dish, is that is quite categorically is NOT a "pie".  Not in the commonly understood definition of a pie, anyway.

I can quite understand the difficulty over what to call it, however.  It is, after all, just mashed potato, layered with buttered leek, covered with grated cheddar cheese and a decorative sliced tomato.  Everything that describes it better, sounds too "clunky".  Baked cheesy leek potato, sounds like a baked (or jacket) potato.  Baked mashed potato with cheese & leek doesn't sound appealing enough.  Cheese & leek baked mashed potato is the closest I could get - but it's still not great.

What we need, is a name all of its own.  Like "Cullen Skink", or "Kedgeree", or "Spotted Dick".  I know what hubby would want to call it, but we won't go there, okay?  Maybe Solanum Cheesyleeks?  (Solanum being part of Solanum Tuberosum - the species from which all cultivated potatoes originate).

Fresh from the oven and ready to serve

Oh well, whatever you decide to call it - so long as you really like mashed potatoes - it is indulgently delicious and reminiscent of the sort of thing your Mum would make for your evening meal when you were a child.  In fact, my Mum was always very aware of our waistlines and didn't cook anything like this dish - but my Aunty Renee would and it made visiting her house even more of a treat.

I will admit, in my own defence, that when I saw the picture of this dish my saliva glands went into overdrive but I didn't realise that it was simply mashed potato with extra goodies and baked.  I believed, erroneously as it turned out, that it was a mashed potato topped pie.  Even when I got my sweaty paws on the recipe, I still didn't twig.

However, when I sat and read the recipe just before I made the dish, I had a sinking feeling where hubby was concerned.  His dislike for all things potato is well known, but I hoped that the reputation of the Jelly potato would assist in making the whole thing more acceptable for him.  Well, it made it edible - but it didn't make it enjoyable for him.

Son and heir and myself, however, well we were in little mashed potato heaven.  If you add to that the feeling of intense satisfaction that copious quantities of Springfield (our local butcher) bacon brings about - and you've got a picture of what we felt about the entire meal.

That bacon is the very epitome of fab'lous, dahlink.  Yes, it does contain an element of water (although it didn't up until very recently), but the very size and thickness of each rasher is sufficient that it balances against the water content and, when grilled, the water evaporates very quickly.  It's the flavour that sets this bacon apart from all others.  Supermarket bacon just doesn't taste the way Springfield's bacon does.  Full flavoured, deliciously smokey and with just enough salt, it is the perfect bacon for a butty - or to serve with Potato, cheese & leek pie.

Where simplicity is concerned, this is about as simple as you could ask for.  You even get a chance to do the washing up that you've created, as the pie heats through in the oven.  However, it is strictly for mashed potato lovers.  I can verify that the leftovers, cold the next day with a couple of slices of ham, were almost better than the heated original.  That's how much I loved it.

POTATO, CHEESE & LEEK PIE    (Serves 4)

Ingredients :

4 medium to large mashing potatoes (Jelly is a great variety - available from Tesco), peeled and quartered
2 knobs of butter
2 tbsp milk
a medium sized leek, trimmed & washed, halved and sliced
a ridiculously enormous pile of grated mature cheddar cheese (approx 150-200g) divided into two thirds and a third
a vine ripened tomato, sliced
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Method :

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas4.

2.  Taking a large saucepan, half fill with water and bring to the boil.  Add some salt, then add the potatoes and cook until they drop easily from the point of a knife.  Drain well.

3.  Add one knob of butter and the milk, plus a little seasoning and mash well.

4.  While the potatoes are still hot, add two thirds of the cheese and fork through until it has melted.

5.  While the potatoes were cooking, melt the other knob of butter in a frying pan and gently cook the leek, without browning.  Once the leeks are soft, set aside.

6.  Take a standard 8" pie dish and pat one third of the potatoes into the bottom.  Spread with a half of the leek mixture, then pat a second third of the potatoes on top.

7.  Again, spread with the leek mixture and pat the remaining third of the potatoes over, this time fluffing up the surface so that it catches the melted cheese, to hold it and prevent it overflowing the edges.  Sprinkle the potato with the remainder of the cheese and arrange the tomato slices in a pretty pattern.

8.  Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the cheese has melted and browned slightly.

Serve with rashers of bacon and garden peas.