Category: Potatoes

Four course dinner

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Our friends Malin and Martin have been staying with us Wednesday to Sunday last week, and we did the most of eating and drinking during that time. 🙂

On Friday we met up with them after work and walked to our favourite Terroirs for a glass or two. OK, two. We take most our visiting friends here for drinks as it is such a nice a place. We were a little hungry so we nibbled on bread and nice green olives before we headed home to eat dinner.

While I was cooking we had some Pimm’s and snacks and after half an hour or so we were ready to eat properly.

We had Delia’s smashing halloumi with lime vinaigrette as a starter, followed by lamb neck fillet with French potato salad and asparagus.

For dessert we had vanilla pannacotta with strawberries and raspberries and a pinch of icing sugar, followed by a cheese board, sourdough bread, crackers and port.

Yep, we were very sleepy and full after all this. The next day the gluttany continued with a big brunch and Henley Regatta, which I will post tomorrow.

Rosti with crayfish spread

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I have a long-lasting fondness of rosti, from when my mother used to serve it as starter in the late 80s early 90s as a starter at dinner parties. The crispy buttery shreds of potato taste absolutely divine with salty caviar, sharp red onions and velvety creme fraiche. I can still crave this, and I don’t care one bit that it is so retro. It is  good!

Sometimes I make this as a light supper, but Christopher is unfortunately not very fond of caviar. I know… He does have other qualities to make up for it, I promise!

So to enjoy this this with my dear boyfriend, I came up with this little crayfish mixture, dip, spread – whatever you would like to call it. And it is good. Less salty, but just as good. This would be absolutely mind blowing with fresh crayfish tails, but mixed in with the large amount of dill and the cream cheese, the in-brine version works too.

You can also put a large dollop of this on your jacket potato, in your baguette, in a cold omelette that you roll up and make little appetizers from, and plenty more.

Crayfish spread, serves 2

180 g crayfish tails

3 large tbs philadelphia

a bunch of dill, finely chopped

1/4 lemon, the juice

1 tsp paprika

salt

white pepper

Chop the crayfish tails coarsely. Mix with the other ingredients.

Rosti, serves 2

ca 6-8 medium potatoes (not new ones)

Peel and grate. Melt butter and oil in a large skilled and place dollops of the potatoe with space in between. Flatten them out. The starch is enough to hold them together (hence the older more starchy variety). Fry until crisp on both sides. Season and serve immediately. 

Venison burgers with potatoes au gratin and porcini sauce

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Although it is summer (or is suppose to be) it is mostly rainy and grey here in the UK, sob sob.

If this is the summer we’re having, then we need to make the most of it, right?! We did that on Sunday by enjoying a very autumnal yet delicious meal; venison burgers with potatoes au gratin, wilted spinach, parsnips and porcini sauce. It was indeed a proper Sunday supper, and because it is suppose to be summer, we haven’t had one for a while. Especially Christopher enjoyed this. He had seconds and even thirds, and when he was finished, he leaned back with a content sigh and said: We haven’t had a meal like that in a long time!

Maybe that was the reason why it tasted so good?! Partly perhaps, but the seasoning of the mince was spot on, and the mince itself, highest quality from a happy wild deer in south of  Sweden (my parents brought it over when they came to visit) was amazing.

Venison burgers, serves 8

1 kg venison mince

1 egg

100 ml milk

100 ml breadcrumbs

a good pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp game spice (i. e. juniper berries, garlic, black pepper)

some white pepper

Mix egg, milk, breadcrumbs and spices in a large bowl. Leave it for a few minutes for the bread to swell. Add the mince and mix well with a wooden fork (nothing beats a wooden fork). Shape to burgers, dipping/rinsing your hands in cold water in between each burger. Fry in butter and oil until cooked the way you prefer. As with all meat I like mine rare.

Potatoes au gratin with garlic, serves 4

10 medium new potatoes

100 ml milk

100 ml cream

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp plain flour

salt

black pepper

dollops of butter

breadcrumbs

Wash the potatoes and slice finely. Grease a gratin disg (10 x 20 cm) and fill it almost all the way up with the potato slices. Mix cream, milk, garlic, seasoning and flour. Whisk thoroughly to prevent lumps. Pour the mixture into the dish. Place dollops of butter on top and pour over some breadcrumbs. Bake in 200C for 30-40 minutes – until the top is crisp and the potatoes are cooked through.

You find the recipe for the sauce here, but I substituted the port for red wine this time, as I had no port at hand. We also had wilted spinach and baked parsnips with red onions )bake wedges of red onion and parsnip in the oven with oil, salt and pepper until soft).

Alaskan pollock with mustardy leeks and potato salad with cabbage

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My French colleague Fabienne is always very impressed by my cooking/baking skills and says that she can’t cook. I don’t believe her, I think all French women can cook. And so far she has not been able to convince me, especially not when passing on great recipes like this.

I am referring to the mustardy leeks which are divine although so very simple to make. It is just three ingredients, four if you want to use some nutmeg, and it goes so well with fish, especially if it is a bit plain like my Alaskan pollock above, fried in butter with lemon pepper. Together with a fresh potato salad this is healthy, cheap and delicious weekday food!

Alaskan pollock with mustardy leeks and potato salad with cabbage, serves 2

400 g Alskan pollock

butter

lemon pepper

Leeks:

2 large leeks, chopped

100-150 ml creme fraiche

2 tsp dijon mustard

salt & white pepper

Potato salad:

new potatoes

1 pointy cabbage, chopped

a few radishes, sliced

juice from 1/2 lemon

proper olive oil

chopped parsley

Start by cooking the potatoes. Cut them in half and leave to cool. Put the cabbage in boiling water just to blanch it. Drain after a few minutes. Rinse in cold water. Mix potatoes, cabbage, radishes, parsley, lemon, and oil and mix thoroughly. Place on a platter.

Fry the leeks on low heat in a saucepan until soft and not browned. Add creme fraicge and mustard. Season with salt and pepper (and nutmeg).

Fry the fish in butter. Season with lemon pepper. Serve! 

Roast chicken with lemon and za’atar with potato salad

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Loving the weather right now! Here in London it has been around 20C for a while now, and the sun is shining every day, although battling the clouds from time to time. And this weather just calls for lighter food, don’t you think? On Sunday I did a different take on the Sunday roast with a whole roast chicken, flavoured with za’atar, sumac and lemon served with a classic French potato salad and a side salad. Easy peasy and sooo good! Try this at home, folks.

Roast chicken with lemon and za’atar with potato salad, serves 2

1 medium chicken

30 g softened butter

1 tbsp za’atar

1 tsp sumac

1/2 citron

salt, black pepper

400 g new potatoes

150 ml creme fraiche

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tsp dijon mustard

salt, white pepper

chives

Heat the oven to 200C. Rinse the chicken and place in a roasting tray. Mix butter with spices and the zest from the lemon. Make a cut i the skin on each breast, and place most of the butter there. Smooth it out underneath the skin so it covers most of the breasts. Brush the bird with the remaining butter. Add some more salt and pepper. Place the lemon in the cavity. Place in oven for about an hour. It is done when the meat juices are clear from the thigh joint. Leave to rest a little before serving.

Boil the potatoes, leave to cool. Dice. Mix creme fraiche, mayonnaise, mustard and seasoning. Add the potatoes. Cut the chives with scissors and add to the salad before serving. Stir to combine. 

Perfect supper for a cleaning day

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Even though I love cooking, I don’t particular like other domestic chores. Laundry is ok, but ironing is a bit boring. And I hate doing the washing up, and am forever grateful that we have a dishwasher. Worst of all is the cleaning though. It is so tedious, and although I like the satisfaction when it is done, it doesn’t way up the fact that it is such a boring task. Apparently my grandmother disliked cleaning as well, but my mother seems to enjoy it more than I do. Maybe the cleaning gene skipped one generation, I don’t know.

But when I do have to clean (far too often for my liking) I want a reward at the end. A quick supper that takes care of itself but still is fulfilling. And the jacket potato is my perfect friend here. But I want a classier topping than cheese and baked beans (which I don’t even like) but still something quick. And this is it. After you have taken the spuds out of the oven to let them cool for a few minutes, you quickly make this topping.

 

Crayfish mess for jacket potatoes, serves 2

180 g crayfish tails in brine

200 ml creme fraiche

4 tbsp mayonnaise

a plash of lemon juice

1/2 finely chopped red onion

1 tbsp lumpfish caviar (Waitrose stock it)

chopped fresh dill

Mix all the ingredients. Press both sides of the potato so it ‘opens’, pour filling onto the spud. Tuck in.

Rainbow trout with parsley potatoes, baked beetroots and hollandaise

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I like buying fresh fish, and a reasonably priced fish here in the UK is the rainbow trout. I buy most my groceries from Ocado, and trough them you can buy fresh fish prepared on the day by their fishmonger. Perfect! I love the trout fillets with the skin on, I think they taste great but they are also easier to cook. I just panfried the fillets and served them with ovenbaked beetroots, summery potatoes with parsley and a deep yellow hollandaise. I have started to buy freerange eggs from a friend of a friend’s farm, and they have a deep yellow yolk. Best eggs ever!

Rainbow trout with parsley potatoes, baked beetroots and hollandaise sauce, serves 2

2 rainbow trout fillets with the skin on

persillade

5-6 potatoes (Maris piper)

a knob of butter

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 fresh beetroots

olive oil

Sauce:

2 egg yolks

100 g salted butter

1 lime

1 tsp vinegar

salt, white pepper

Peel the beetroots and cut into wedges. Place in an ovenproof dish, add olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 1hr in 200C or until soft. Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-3 mm thick slices. Rince, put in a pan and cover with water. Add salt. Bring to the boil. Drain. Place in an oven tray, add dollops of butter (approx 2 tbsp) and chopped parsley. Bake until soft and golden, 200C, about 30 mins.  

Melt the butter and leave to cool a little. Mix vinegar, lime juice and egg yolks in a sauce pan.

Fry the trout fillets skinside down in oil/butter until the meat around the sides seems cooked. Turn over and fry on the other side for a few minutes. Place skinside down again. Sprinkle persillade on top and squirt some lime juice. Turn off the heat.

Skala rödbetorna och skär i klyftor. Lägg i en form, häll på olivolja, salt och peppar. Baka 1h 200 grader. Skala potatisen och skär i 2-3 mm tjocka skivor. Skölj, lägg i en kastrull, täck precis med vatten, salta. Koka upp. Häll av vattnet. Fördela i en form. Klicka över smör (ca 2 msk) och strö över persilja. Baka tills mjuka och gyllene, 200 grader ca 30 minuter.

Smält smöret och låt svalna lite. Blanda vinäger, limesaft och äggulor i en kastrull.

Stek forellfiléerna med skinnsidan neråt i olja/smör tills kanterna ser genomstekta ut, vänd och stek andra sidan. Vänd igen, pressa över lite limejuice och strö å lite persillade och vitpeppar. Turn off the heat.

Put the sauce pan in a double boiler or on a very small flame. Whisk while adding the butter little by little until it is all incorporated. Be careful not to get the sauce too hot, and don’t stop beating as the sauce might split. Season with salt and pepper. 

Re-run: Nigella’s steak slice with lemon and thyme

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I know I have posted this recipe here before, but I just have to do it again. Because I have found the perfect accompaniment!

The recipe is from Nigella’s cookbook Nigella Express (a book that is improving to me) and it is the perfect way to make a rougher cut of meat really tender. You use rumpsteak and when you’re done you could think it is sirloin, that’s how tender it becomes. In the recipe Nigella recommends serving it with broccoli dipped in the marinade, and that is lovely, I agree, but I still want potatoes with my steak. Last time I made potatoes au gratin, but that was not the perfect combination. But a jacket potato with sourcream and chives is!  Christopher bought a nice bottle of red to go with it, so we really enjoyed our dinner last night. The dessert was delicious too, will post that recipe tomorrow.

Steak slice med citron och timjan, serves 2

300 g rump steak (preferrably thick)

2 cloves of garlic, smashed up

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1 tsp salt

black pepper

40 ml olive oil

3 stalks of thyme, just the leaves

Cut the fat off the meat and fry it in olive oil a couple of minutes (2-3 mins) on each side. Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the marinade. Put the meat in a dish and marinate each side for 4-5 minutes. Slice it into small pieces and put it back in the dish and serve it.

The sides:

2-3 baking potatoes

300 ml soured cream

chives

broccoli

Cut a cross on the top of each potato. Bake for 1 1/2 hours in 200C. Press the sides towards the middle to ‘open’ the potato. Pour soured cream over it and sprinkle chives on top.

Cook the broccoli until almost tender. Drain. Remove the garlic from the meat marinade and pour it over the broccoli. Serve.

Three courses

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On Saturday when I took over Christopher’s mother Eileen’s kitchen for the evening, I was a little bit nervous. Partly because I don’t know where everything is in her kitchen and partly because it was the first time I cooked for her.

We usually come to her instead of her coming to visit us in London, and that is because of several reasons: she has a lot more living space than us; we have friends in the area; it is nice to visit the countryside; Christopher’s brother lives near by etc. But it feels wrong that we invite ourselves over and Eileen has to cook for us every time, so it was definitely over due for us (me) to cook for her. Christopher was nice and helped by guiding me around the kitchen, setting the table, putting cooking music on and filling and re-filling my wine glass as well as doing the dishes, so he actually did a lot more than I did.  

The recipes I used were ones I basically know off by heart and have cooked several times (you don’t want to fail in someone elses kitchen).

The starter was this simple but absolutely delicious recipe. Unfortunately the supermarket near by had no figs so we just hade some rocket with it, and that worked too. The most important thing is the parma ham, the filling and the balsamic claze, don’t forget the glaze!You can serve rocket with it like we did, a more substantial salad, figs, olives, marinated artichoke hearts or whatever you like. But please promise me to try this!

For the mains I made Nigella’s lovely lamb racks with a parmesan crust, roasted new potatoes and a red wine sauce.

Roasted new potatoes, serves 3

ca 500 g baby new potatoes

olive oil

rosmary

salt and pepper

Place the potatoes in a roasting pan, drizzle some oil over them and season with rosemary, salt and pepper. Place in 200C for about 30 minutes.

The dessert was another Nigella creation, the ever so lovely glitzy chocolate puddings, that you all have to try. My dear dad that doesn’t even like chocolate cakes or desserts loved this one…

Pork fillet en croûte with potatoes au gratin

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Since I moved to London 2+ years ago I have made a few new food acquaintances that I probably would not have done in Sweden. I am really into pork belly now adays and I had never had rabbit before I moved here. I am trying to pay it back by introducing my English friends to the pork fillet. In Sweden it is the to-go-to cut for a larger dinner party and it is so versatile. The most important thing is to cook the meat the right way so it won’t be dry. I usually brown it all around in a frying pan and cook it through in the oven to preserve the juices.  

That was also the way I cooked the mat when I made this pork fillet en croûte. But I should have let the meat cool down completely before I rolled it in puff pastry, because warm puff pastry has a tendency to melt and become sticky. After a little struggle I manage to package the meat up nicely, but I have learnt the following until next time:  

* two layers on puff pastry on top of each other should work better than a single layer

* all ingredients need to be cool

* maybe I don’t have to brown the meat first. With salmon en croûte and Beef Wellington you don’t, so it should work here too.

Regardless of the presentation, it still tasted lovely! The potatoes au gratin was perfect, creamy without being too heavy.

Pork fillet en croûte, serves 3-4

1 pork fillet á 400g

olive oil

butter

375 g rolled puff pastry (preferrably double layers)

8-10 button mushrooms, sliced

6 slices bacon, in pieces

salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

Fry the bacon until crispy in some olive oil, drain on kitchen towel. Fry the mushrooms on high heat in the same skillet. Season afterwards. Brown the pork fillet all around on high heat in both butter and oil in a frying pan. Season. Leave everything to cool down. Fold the puff pastry in half so you have double laers of it, make sure it is cool. Place bacon and mushrooms in a rectangular in the middle of the pastry, place the meat on top. Fold the pastry tightly around the meat and pinch the edges together. Transfer to a baking tray. Brush the top with the beaten egg. Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, place the tray in 200C oven, and take the meat out when it is 62-65 C. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.  

Potatoes au gratin, serves 4 

8-10 potatoes

butter

150 ml milk

150 ml single cream

1 tsp plain flour

1 clove garlic, pressed

salt

black pepper

Butter a gratin dish. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Distribute them in the dish and season with salt and black pepper. Press the garlic into a bowl, add the milk, cream and flour, and perhaps a bit more salt and pepper. Mix it and pour it into the dish, unti it is filled 3/4 ways up. Place some knobs of butter, bake for 200C for 35-40 mins until the potatoes is cooked.