Category: Potatoes

Fish gratin with prawns and dill

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

I am one of those girls that like my meat. I like fish too though, but need to eat it more often. And this is the way forward – fish cooked in the oven covered by a nice sauce.

This dish has typical Scandinavian f;avours with prawns, dill and chives, and also some dijon mustard to give it a little zing.

Fish gratin with prawns, serves 2-3

3 tilapia fillets

100 g peeled Icelandic prawns

Sauce:

2 tbsp butter

1,5 tbsp flour

500 ml milk

150 ml cream

1,5 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 fish stock cube

salt, white pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 bunch dill, chopped

1/2 bunch chives, chopped

Mashed potatoes:

ca 400 g potatoes

100 g butter

salt, white pepper

Butter a dish and place the fish fillets in it. Cook the potatoes very soft in water. Drain and mash with the butter. Season.

Melt the butter for the sauce in a non-stick saucepan. Whisk in the butter. Add the milk little by little, while stirring, until it is all added and the sauce has thickened. Add the cream and stock. Let the sauce thicken and add the mustard, salt and white pepper. Add the herbs at the end.

Pour the sauce over the fish and place the dish in 180C oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and pipe the mashed potatoes around the edges of the dish. Add Scatter the prawns in the middle of the dish. Cook for another 10-15 minutes in the oven. Serve straight away with some green beans.

Roast chicken with smoked salt and garlic, white wine sauce and butternut squash with feta and pine nuts

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

Last week we had the Sunday roast on the Saturday, which worked really well actually. I served it with a creamy sauce instead of gravy to make it worthy of a Saturday night supper, and it worked!

I also tried some smoked salt I bought a while ago from Halen Môn. I have been dying to try it and thought chicken was the perfect place to start. To make it adhere better to the chicken I crushed the salt flakes in my pestle and mortar first.

Apart from the smoked salt I only used butter, garlic and white pepper to season the chicken. It tasted lovely and came out very moist, but if you want a more distinct smoked taste you need to add more salt.

I also put some potato chunks and red onion in the roasting tray with the chicken so they could soak up the meat juices and taste all lovely. Roasted butternut squash with feta cheese and pine nuts as well as green beans was the perfect addition.

And then the sauce. It was a creamy concoction with white wine and a dash of balsamic vinegar and it was excellent with chicken. I will definitely make it again. Soon even.

Roast chicken with smoked salt and garlic, serves 4

1 medium chicken

3 tbsp butter

3 tsp smoked salt, crushed

white pepper

3 jacket potato sized potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 red onion, cut into wedges

Rinse the chicken and trim it if needed. Make a cut in the skin above each breasts. Stick your finger into the whole and create a pocket between the skin and the meat. Make two slashes on each thigh with a knife. Mix the butter with garlic and fill the breast pockets with this mixture. Smear it onto the thighs and rub what is left onto the whole chicken. Season with smoked salt and white pepper all around the bird. Place in a roasting tray with the potatoes and onions. Roast for 45-60 minutes in 200C or until the chicken is cooked through (clear meat juices by the thigh joint) and the potatoes are done. Leave to rest for 10 mins covered in foil before serving. Sprinkle on some more smoked salt when carved.

Roasted butternut squash with feta and pine nuts, serves 4

1/2 butternut squash

3 tbsp crumbled feta

1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted if you prefer

Remove the pips and cut off the ends of the squash. Cut into chunks and place in a small roasting tray. Sprinkle with feta and pine nuts, salt and pepper. Roast in 200C for 20-25 mins.

White wine sauce with chicken, serves 2

100 ml white wine

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp concentrated chicken stock

100 ml cream

1 tsl mild chilisås

salt and pepper

Pour all the ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to the boil and heat up. Adjust the stock and seasoning.

Tray bake with chicken, chorizo, potatoes & parsnips

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

I love a good tray bake when I’m feeling lazy or am exhausted after a work day. It needs little preparation, and all you need to think about is each ingredient’s cooking time.

When I made this particular tray bake I wanted something comforting but with lots of flavour, and good chorizo does add all that. The fat from the smoky chorizo and the chicken melts nicely into the tray and get absorbed by the root vegetables, making the whole dish moist and crispy at the same time. There is no need to add a sauce, although creme fraiche with sweet chilli sauce, salt and white pepper would be a fab addition, but if you’re lazy a (big) dollop or good quality mayonnaise will do nicely too.I took my plate and curled up under the duvet, a ‘la Nigella and watched an episode of Rizzoli & Isles. That’s allowed when home alone on a gloomy and dark autumn evening.

Tray bake with chicken, chorizo, potatoes and parsnips, serves 2-3

3 baking potato sized potatoes, I used Maris Piper

1 parsnip

1 green bell pepper

1/2 chorizo ring, sliced

1 garlic solo, sliced

4 chicken thighs

1/2 lemon, the juice

mild olive oil

salt & pepper

Pour some oil onto a roasting tray. Dice the potato into large chunks (with the skin on). Peel and cut the parsnip into chunks as well as the pepper. Place it all in the roasting tray. Add salt and pepper and place it in the oven for 20 minutes on 200C.

In the meantime, brown the chicken thighs on medium-high heat in a frying pan. Remove the roasting tray from the oven after 20 minutes and add the sliced chorizo and garlic. Squeeze the lemon juice on top and place the chicken thighs in the tray. Put it back into the oven for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Panko and parmesan coated lamb racks with mashed potato and red wine sauce

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

Lamb is not the most traditional Scandinavian food, although it is definitely available. But in the south where I am from, the land is used more to grow crops than keep cattle on, and further up cows and pigs seem to be the way more represented than lamb. It’s not like in England where you see the while little things on every empty part of land.

This recipe is an adaptation from this Nigella recipe, so now it is perfect to me. Using panko breadcrumbs make the coating very crusty and as long as you have good quality meat this dish is a winner. I prefer to eat my lamb racks rare, and that is the method described in the recipe below. If you prefer yours pink or well done even, just heat up the oil a bit less and cook the meat for longer.

Panko and parmesan coates lamb racks, serves 2

5-6 lamb rack cutlets

2 eggs

200 ml panko

50 ml grated parmesan

salt, black pepper, 1 tsp dried Italian herbs

500 ml vegetable oil

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Mix panko, parmesan and spices in another bowl. Cut the large line of fat off each cutlet. Pour the oil into a sauté pan and heat it up until very hot. Dip the meat, one at the time, in first the beaten egg than the panko mixture to coat it all around. Place two or so at the time in the pan. FRy for about 40 seconds to a minute on each side. Turn when it is nice in colour and crisp. Leave on kitchen towel to drain from excess fat.

Mashed potatoes, serves 2

500 g potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward

50-100 ml milk

70 g butter

salt, white pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut into smallish pieces (smaller pieces equal less cooking time). Cover with water (just about) add salt and bring to the boil. Once boiling lower the heat to medium heat and cook with the lid half on until very soft. Drain from water and mash with a masher. Add milk (start with the lower amount) and butter. Season. Mash properly to avoid lumps.

Red wine sauce, serves 2

200 ml red wine

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

150 ml cream

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 tbsp soy sauce

salt, white pepper

2 tsp sugar or a mild chilli sauce for sweetness

colouring agent

Add wine and vinegar to a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Reduce for about 10 minutes. Add cream, soy , garlic and the something sweet. Bring to the boil and season with salt and pepper. Colour a light brown.

Duck leg confit with roasted new potatoes and dijonnaise

Published on by Hanna8 Comments

I had the intention on Sunday to try Thomas Keller’s recipe for duck leg confit from the book Ad Hoc At Home. But when I read the recipe it was like a two-day project, so I willsave that until later. I still wanted to make a confit though, so this is my own version. At turned out really good too!

I served it with simple yet wonderful compliments; roast new potatoes with thyme, crunchy tenderstem broccoli and dijonnaise with wholegrain mustard. I faked the sauce this time though, mixing Hellman’s with wholegrain Maille, but it is easily done to make your own mayonnaise.

Duck leg confit, serves 2

2 duck legs

300 ml goose fat

salt, black pepper

Season the legs. Place in an oven proof dish and cover the legs with the fat. Place in 125C oven for abour 3 hours. Turn the legs around a few times while cooking. Remove from the oven when the meat is tender. Place the legs in a clean dish and let them cool down. Refridgerate for an hour or over night. Place in 200C oven covered with tin foil to heat them up while serving. about 20 minutes in 200C. (Chilling the meat makes it even tender.)

Roasted new potatoes, serves 2

500 g new potatoes

mild oil

salt, black pepper

5 sprigs fresh thyme

Place the potatoes in an oven tray and pour over 1-2 tbsp of oil, mix to coat evenly. Season and add the thyme. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes in 200C.

Cheat dijonnaise, 2 portioner

150 ml hellman’s mayonnaise

1-2 tbsp wholegrain dijon mustard

Mix. Leave for a few minutes for the flavours to marry. Serve.

Ottolenghi’s one pot wonder

Published on by HannaLeave a comment

As I might have told you several times already, I am a huge fan of Ottolenghi’s cooking. Mostly I adore his cookbook Plenty but I also like the Ottolenghi cookbook that was published before Plenty.

This recipe is another one of his creations, an all-in-one-pan-kind-of-meal with quite basic ingredients (potatoes, onions, chilli, garlic, yoghurt, eggs) and some unusual seasoning (sumac and tahini) but it made a perfect weekday supper, would be perfect for breakfast or to cure any bad hangover.

Unfortunately I was all out of tahini without realising it, when I made this dish, so I substituted for the next best thing; za’atar and that worked really well.

Ottolenghi’s one pot wonder, serves 2

Adapted from Ottolenghi’s recipe.

olive oil

3 onions, thinly sliced (I only used one red onion)

200 g baby potatoes, sliced into 5 mm thick slices

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp sumac

salt & black pepper

1/2 tsp caster sugar

1 clove of garlic, pressed

100 g Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

300 g cherry tomatoes on the vine

4 eggs

1,5 tbsp tahini paste (I used 1 tbsp of za’atar instead)

1 tbsp chopped coriander (which I forgot)

Heat up olive oil in a sauteuse pan. Add the onions, potatoes, chilli, sumac, salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Then add sugar and garlic, and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Mix yoghurt, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside. In a seperate pan, add the tomatoes, vine facing up, when the pan is hot and cook the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes until well charred. Remove from the pan.

Spread the potatoes and onions evenly in its pan and break four eggs on top. Try to keep the yolks whole. Fry for three minutes, until the whites start to set. Then cover and cook for another minute or two for the whites to set completely. Add dollops of the yoghurt, avoiding the yolks, then sprinkle with tahini or za’atar (again, avoiding the yolks). Place the tomatoes, still on the vine, on top and sprinkle with coriander. Serve straight from the pan. 

Roast lamb shoulder with roast potatoes and red wine and porcini sauce

Published on by Hanna3 Comments

I thoroughly enjoy the Sunday roasts so common in this country, and it is certainly the season for it again now. So last Sunday we had the frist roast with roast potatoes for a while, and it was lovely!

I used a half shoulder of Welsh lamb and was actually really pleased with the result. The oven was only on 150C, and I browned it before roasting to give it more flavour, and to get tender meat I rested it for 30 minutes. This left crispy bits on the outside and pink tender meat on the inside.

We also had perfect roast potatoes, red wine sauce with porcini and roasted root veg. A perfect Sunday supper!

Roast shoulder of lamb , serves 2

whole or half shoulder of lamb, bone in. (mine weighed around 800 g)

butter/oil for frying

4 rosemary sprigs

2 whole garlic cloves

a splash of red wine

Season the meat on all sides, don’t be shy with the salt. Brown it in a hot frying pan with the rosemary and garlic in the pan as well as oil/butter. Place it on a wire rack over a tinfoiled-lined roasting tray. Add the wine and place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat (not by the bone). Place in 150C oven until it reaches 58C inside. Wrap in tin foil and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Roast potatoes, serves 2

ca 6 large Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut in half

2 tbsp duck or goose fat

salt, white pepper

Place the potatoes in a pan and add biling water just to cover them. Parboil for 5 minutes. Add the fat to a roasting tray and let it heat up in the oven. Place the drained potatoes on the tray and turn to coat them with fat. Season. Roast for about 35 minutes or until crisp and golden in 175-200 C oven.

Red wine sauc with porcini mushrooms, serves 2

a handful dried porcini mushrooms

water

200 ml red wine

meat juices

200 ml single cream

1-2 tsp concentrated beef stock

1 tsp mild chilli sauce, a pinch of sugar or a spoonful jelly

salt, pepper

Cover the mushrooms with water. Squeeze to get rid of excess water, but keep the water. Chop roughly and fry in oil (in a non-stick saucepan) until browned. Add the water from the mushrooms, red wine and meat juices into the pan and let it reduce for 5-10 minutes. Add the other ingredients and season to taste. Bring to the boil and let it thicken slightly before serving.

Roasted root vegetables, serves 2

2 parsnips

2 carrots

a chunk of swede

1/2 red onion

2 sprigs thyme or rosemary

2 tbsp olive oil

salt, pepper

Peel and dice the root vegetables. Peel and cut the onion into wedges. Mix it all in an small roasting tin with the olive oil. Add the herbs/salt and pepper (a lot). Place in 175C oven, preferrably covered with a baking tray not to brown, until soft. 

Caramelised pork fillet, potatoes with tomatoes and parmesan, and a cold dijon and honey sauce

Published on by Hanna2 Comments

In Sweden pork fillet is the most common cut of meat for dinner parties. I state that as a fact, and I am convinced I am right, but with no real research to back it up apart from my own experience.

What’s so good about the pork fillet it that it is lean meat that when cooked right is very soft and tender. And because of the cut being lean it means less flavour in the meat than tougher cuts, which then means that this is a very versatile cut. You can flavour it with anything you like.

I have come across thousands after thousands of recipes for this particular fillet in Sweden, but hardly any here in the UK. But then I found one, by Gary Rhodes. And it was just too tempting not to try it.

It is incredibly simple, but leaves a very tender meat. First you caramelise it whole in a frying pan, then transfer it to an oven until just done. Let it rest. Slice and serve.

Because this cooking approach leaves a fairly bland (but delicious) meat it needs soemthing more flavoursome to go with it. I opted for thick potato slices, cooked in the oven with chopped sunblush tomatoes, thyme and grated parmesan. And with a cold dijon and honey sauce, this is a perfect dish for this time of year; the transition between summer and autumn.

Caramelised pork fillet, serves 2-3

Adapted after Gary Rhode’s recipe

1 pork fillet, trimmed, about 400 g

salt, black pepper

butter

50 ml caster sugar

Season the meat well on all sides. Pat it with some of the sugar. Place the fillet in a hot frying pan with the butter in. Add the remaining sugar and fry the meat until caramelised all around. Then either transfer the meat to an oven tray or place the frying pan (if it does not have a plastic handle) in a 200C oven for 12 minutes. Leave to rest in tin foil for at least 5 mins before slicing.

Potato slices with tomatoes, thyme and parmesan, serves 2

3 large maris piper potatoes or baking potatoes, washed

1/2 jar  sunblush tomatoes

a few sprigs of thyme, just the leaves

50 ml grated parmesan

olive oil, salt and pepper

Cut the potatoes into 1 cm thick slices and place on a baking tray. Chop the tomatoes finely and mix with the thyme. Place some of the mixture on each potato slice. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan and add salt and pepper. Place in a low oven, 300 C for about 35 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

Cold dijonand honey sauce, serves 2

200 ml half fat creme fraiche or regular sour cream

1-2 tsp dijon

2 tsp squeezy honey (Acacia)

salt, white pepper

Mix all the ingredients. Leave for 10 minutes to intense the flavours. 

Pork cheek confit with sage sauce

Published on by Hanna5 Comments

Unusual cuts of meat have been popular for a while, probably a lot thanks to Fergus Henderson, and it is almost comical that we now pay lots of money for what used to be peasant food for our grandparent’s generation.

To me it seems like the general public only eat chicken breats, salmon fillets and beef mince. There are so much more to fish, meat and poultry than that, and as much as I enjoy different cuts for the variety I also like to buy them because they are a lot cheaper than i.e. chicken breasts.

Fresh food is expensive, but with cheaper, unusal cuts of meat you can get a wonderful tasting meal if you just learn how to cook them. Most unusual cuts are tougher but full of flavour and therefore need a slowcooking approach.

My paternal grandmother for example, cooked and ate pig’s trotters quite a lot, because it was cheap and tasty. Now I eat pig’s trotters in Michelin starred restaurants, which is nice, but a bit twisted, you must admit.

One increasingly popular cheap cut of pork is the cheeks, and I bought some in Waitrose for £2.99 a kilo. I used google to do some research on how to best cook them and found that the most common way was a confit.

The day before I made the confit, then refridgerated the pork cheeks over night, sliced them in thin slices the next day and fried them until crispy. Together with roasted vegetables and potatoes and a sauce with sage and garlic, this was a delicious yet cheap meal for two.

The pork cheeks were absolutely lovely and I will definitely cook it again soon. At the dinner table we started thinking about how else to serve it. Maybe as a starter with a salad, or with a mushroom creme, or perhaps in an indulgent sandwich? The sky is the limit!

Pork cheek confit, with sage sauce and roasted vegetables, serves 2

500 g pork cheeks

300-400 ml goose or duck fat

butter and olive oil for frying

salt & pepper

Vegetables:

5 potatoes

1 large parsnip

1 red bell pepper

1 courgette

Italian herbs

olive oil

salt och pepper

Sauce:

olive oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 small garlic clove, pressed

100 ml creme fraiche

200 ml single cream

2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp Heinz chilli sauce or ketchup alt. a pinch of brown sugar

concentrated beef stock

salt & pepper

colouring agent

Place the cheeks in an ovenproof dish and cover with the fat. Place in 125C oven for 2-3 hours until the meat has browned and is tender. Take the meat out of the tray and place on a plate. Refrigerate.

Peel the potatoes and parsnip and cut into wedges. Place in a roasting tray. Slice the courgette, cut the peppers into large(ish) pieces and place in the tray. Add olive oil and Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Bake in 200C for 30-40 mins, stirring occasionally.

When the vegetables are almost cooked, start making the sauce. Heat up some olive oil in a non-stick sauce pan, on medium heat. Fry the sage and garlic for a minute or so. Add cream, creme fraiche, mustard, chilli sauce and soy. Bring to the boil and season to taste with salt and pepper and stock. Colour the sauce light brown and let it thicken.

Slice the cold cheeks into 2-3 mm thick slices. Heat up butter and olive oil on high heat in a frying pan and fry the slices until crispy. Serve with the sauce and vegetables and marvel over how wonderful this is. 

Chicken and chorizo with roasted new potatoes

Published on by Hanna1 Comment

The best way to get a nice dinner in exchange for little cooking is to use the oven. A few days ago I made this utterly simple traybake of chicken thighs, chorizo, new potatoes and celeriac. The chorizo is so full of flavour and transfers it to the chicken that all you need to add is olive oil, salt and pepper. We had some of the lovely slaw with it and homemade chilli mayo. You didn’t really need the mayo and I need to tune the recipe a bit more before I am proud of it. But you can have the recipe for the chicken and chorizo already now, as it is perfect as it is, so simple and all.

Chicken and chorizo with roasted new potatoes and celeriac, serves 2  + a lunch box

800 g chicken thighs

1/2 ring chorizo

300 g new potatoes

1/4 celeriac

olive oil

lemon pepper

salt

white pepper

Line an oven tin with parchment paper. Add the potatoes whole, cut the celeriac in sticks and add them too. Sprinkle some lemon pepper and a drizzle of oil. Place the chicken thighs, skin side up, in another tin. Slice the chorizo and add it to the chicken. Add some olive oil, salt and pepper. Place both tins in the oven, 200 C for 45 mins- 1 hr.

After 15 minutes, turn the chicken pieces around, and after another 15 minutes, place them skin side up again.