Quick Roasted New Potatoes

Just a quick post for today about a handy side dish of Roasted New Potatoes. Now normally these can take about 40 minutes to roast, or might involve some par boiling, but I've happened on a way to get it done faster and to fit in alongside your dinner. I hate it when it take longer to cook the potatoes than whatever it is I want to eat with them!

First - have a handy route inside your store cupboard/fridge. Have some oil? Good! Now, what do you like to have your new potatoes with? A bit of garlic? Lemon? Herbs? Bacon? (Again with the bacon I know... I'm obsessed.) Use whatever you have or like.

Add 500g new potatoes to a microwavable bowl with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons of cold water.

On a high heat cook them for around 5 minutes till they go soft. Then add them to a baking tray of olive oil, and whatever additions you fancy.  I've used some chopped garlic and rosemary here - but you could easily try some lemon zest, or something a bit spicier. 

Add your potatoes and give it a good shake to mix it all up and coat well.

Cook for around  10-15 minutes in a hot oven (maybe 180C - whatever suits) till they go crispy.

Enjoy! Will put on a much more exciting (and deliciously simple) Pineapple Upside Down cake tomorrow.

Potato Cakes

This recipe is another from the book, the British Food Bible. Potato Cakes are delicious for a snack, with bacon for breakfast, or as a nice change with dinner, served with some lamb. It's also a handy way of using left over mash from the night before. According to the book, for a truly perfect potato cake you must use fresh, piping hot mash, but I've done otherwise and it still tastes gorgeous to me!

Ingredients:

550g mashed potato
25g butter
Seasoning
1 egg (optional)
115g plain flour

Instructions:

Whip your mash (either hot or cold) with the egg, butter and seasoning.

Mix together with the flour.  Add 100g of flour at first and keep adding flour when necessary going till you get a good doughy texture.

You could take an opportunity now to mix in an optional extra or two - such as small bits of crispy bacon or some spring onion. I've used some tiny bits of chopped leeks here to match in with the rest of our dinner.

When it has all formed a dough, place onto your work top, which should be well dusted with flour, and sprinkling the rolling pin with flour to give you a helping hand - roll out till the dough is 2cm thick.

Use a pastry cutter to cut into the sizes you desire - larger for a snack on their own, smaller if you wish to serve them breakfast or dinner. If you are preparing these for a dinner party you can make them in advance, dust them well with flour, and place them in between sheets of baking paper. Leave in the fridge till you're ready to cook & eat them.

To cook (from freshly made or chilled and waiting) -  oh a high heat, preheat a griddle (or a frying pan) and sizzle off a small dash of butter.

Cook each potato cake for 2 minutes on both sides, till they turn golden brown. Serve straight away.