The humble potato

Weekend suppers should be special but not involve hours of prep and stress. Everyone has a favourite “comfort” ingredient and mine has to be potatoes. Probably my favourite indulgent potato dish is “Dauphinoise” the only trouble is it's a lot of work and takes a long time to cook.

For the uninitiated Dauphinoise is a classic French potato dish made simply with thin slices of potato and double cream. It takes time and technique since the potatoes have to be raw wafer thin slices and to achieve said thin slices you need to use a mandolin – not an easy piece of kit but we'll come to that later.

In the meantime, here's my solution – cheat!

Dauphinoise – the cheats' way

3 large jacket potatoes, baked, cooled then

peeled and sliced thinly – as a guide 500g

I used Maris Piper potatoes, they become waxy in texture when baked and are easy to slice thinly and become sticky - easy to arrange.

a sprinkle of celery salt and black pepper

two roasted cloves of garlic

large knob of unsalted butter for greasing

400ml double cream

You'll need a heavy earthenware or cast iron

serving dish

Alfredo Sauce

double the quantities given in the original recipe

50g unsalted butter

400ml double cream

100g freshly grated Parmesan

freshly ground black pepper

Gently heat the butter and the cream together, stirring until the butter has melted, then add the Parmesan.

Slowly bring to a gentle boil, turn down the heat and simmer, stir continuously for a minute or so until you have a smooth, creamy sauce, season.

This sauce can be made ahead, cooled, boxed and fridged or you can freeze it.

Assembly and photos next!

The back-burner ideas list

 … and here we are again – another lockdown.

When I thought about the back-burner stuff I had in mind the Christmas holidays – however it may be that the ideas might come in handy now and not for the back-burner after all.

Over the last months lots of us have struggled getting to grips with cooking at home - at the beginning it was a challenge and even, dare I say, fun. The trouble is that we're all now fed up and weary of being confined - the restaurants and pubs are on hold again and it's back to our own kitchen.

Boredom weakens our resolve and the temptation to throw food on a plate willy-nilly and to eat badly is all too easy. What might help is a new piece of kit which almost does the work for you in that its shape tailors how you serve food and the amount too.

Do you own decent sized bowls aka deep pasta bowls? If no, then you might want to consider making an investment – they are excellent pieces of kit for the winter months. I've used mine many times.

Here's an example :

the bowl measures 29cms/11½”

the broad rim 5cms/2”

the cutter measures 10cms/4”

and is a perfect size to place a circle of food

You don't have to be absolutely accurate – the photo and measurements are meant as a guide - it's easier to centralise a portion and then build upon it.

Even the most enthusiastic and committed of cooks lose the will and run out of ideas sooner or later so, in an attempt to raise your spirits coming next is the basis for a comfort bowl of weekend food that hasn't been thrown onto a plate. It's not cheffy or fussy - it's easy and what you add to it is simply whatever you fancy.

Coming next – my favourite comfort bowl

Sidetracked … from the memory bank!

Frittata takes me back to the best breakfast I've ever eaten – in Jake's Grill, Portland, Oregon.

Admittedly it was a late breakfast – the ultimate indulgence – an omelette made with Oregon Dungeness Crab. Its season is December through to April – supplies are limited from then on. If you're ever in that neck of the woods treat yourself – it's still on the menu, served with breakfast potatoes.

Some may say it's extravagant to put crab in an omelette – hey, it's a treat and I say a little bit of what you fancy does you good!

I've also discovered that they serve a Dungeness Crab Benedict – what a glorious thought!

I wouldn't normally mention Christmas yet awhile but it has been such a strange year nothing is “normal” as we know it so anything goes! I'm suggesting “back-burner” ideas that might appeal when you want to push the boat out. A crab benedict sounds like a great place to begin.

Add a packet of buttermilk muffins to your shopping list - you can stash in them in the freezer - they don't take up too much space - ready to toast and butter – add the crabmeat, not forgetting a drop of lemon juice and a sprinkle of celery salt and black pepper and then drizzle generously with a mornay sauce.

As I've said previously a mornay sauce is definitely less stressful than Hollandaise and to serve it with fish is a marriage made in heaven. Not for nothing did Wheeler's, the famous fish restaurant include a mornay in their sauce list to accompany their fabulous fish dishes so why not over crab for a Christmas morning breakfast!

If you like the idea then you might want to check out your supermarket ahead of the game – most sell crab meat – white or a mixture of white and brown and some is suitable for freezing which would be a good idea. Crab meat is also available in tins. If you're feeling very extravagant then you could buy it direct from specialist seafood suppliers – from Orkney to Folkstone and Cornwall to Cromer (in Norfolk) there's so much choice out there!

The “back-burner” ideas list begins ...

Frittata – more bits and pieces

Frittata means “fried”. As we all know frittata is a great way of using up leftovers, worthy of a rummage in your fridge, all your favourite bits brought together. The great thing about a frittata is that you can make it as big as you like!

Use your leftover chicken, roast potatoes and any

cooked vegetables – dice and set aside

Raid the fridge for any raw veggies. Using a large

frying pan, sauté a finely chopped onion in a drop of

rapeseed oil

Add any raw vegetables, i.e. peppers, courgettes,

carrots – sliced and diced to a similar size – cook until soft

Add the cooked chicken, potatoes and cooked veggies

Whisk four eggs in a large mixing bowl, add a couple

of handfuls of cheese and black pepper

Serve with whatever floats your boat – bacon, sausages, fried chorizo and its oil, any cold meats and a salad – roasted portobello mushrooms make a perfect veggie addition. You could use Quorn pieces instead of chicken.

If your budget doesn't run to chorizo then use a packet of smoked bacon, place the rashers on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes – 180fan/200c/Gas 6 – turn and repeat. Set aside to cool – the bacon will be crispy – deliberately! When the bacon has cooled, break into tiny pieces, box and fridge.

Here they are :

A very handy “savoury sprinkle” over scrambled eggs, fold into mashed potatoes or add to chicken casserole – the list is endless.

Frittata is never wasted - it's perfect the following day as part of a lunch box – if there's any leftover!

Sidetracked … from the memory bank

Frittata photos and bits and pieces

 

leftover roasties – too good to waste

the frittata from the grill

a generous slice

Quick, easy and delicious. It is perfect on its own as a breakfast treat – if you prefer a brunch you could serve with, as I did, coleslaw – because I love it. You could serve wedges on the side or beetroot relish would definitely work well too.

More bits and pieces …

Another weekend breakfast treat …

 or brunch if you prefer, with add-ons – a frittata hits the spot.

My next suggest is a combination of leftovers, staples and a treat.

I had leftover roasties – never wasted! I had the usual suspects – eggs and mature Cheddar cheese and a bunch of spring onions. The treat – smoked salmon.

Smoked Salmon Frittata

Serves 4

You'll need a large frying pan

240g roasties, cut into small pieces – plus

any crispy bits too!

1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

3 large eggs, beaten

2 handfuls of grated mature Cheddar cheese -

as a guide a handful weighs 75g approximately

100g packet of smoked salmon, snipped into

small pieces

a drop of rapeseed oil

black pepper

Heat a drop of rapeseed oil in your frying pan. Add the roasties and the spring onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the snipped pieces of smoked salmon and fold into the roasties and onions, sauté for 2 minutes.

Pre-heat your grill – BEFORE YOU TURN IT ON

ENSURE THAT THE FRYING PAN YOU'RE USING

WILL SLIDE EASILY INTO THE SPACE LEAVING AT

LEAST TWO INCHES GAP BETWEEN THE PAN AND

THE GRILL ITSELF, OTHERWISE YOU'LL BURN

THE TOP AND THE MIDDLE WON'T BE COOKED

Add the grated cheese to the beaten eggs to the roasties, onions and smoked salmon and cook on a medium heat on the hob for 2/3 minutes. Transfer the pan to the grill - cook for 2/3 minutes Remove the pan from the grill - USING OVEN GLOVES.

Using a fish slice gently flatten down the frittata so that you break the top – you'll find that the egg mixture is still not quite cooked. Place back under the grill for another 2/3 minutes and check – it should be golden brown but if your preference is for a darker colour carry on to your desired taste.

Serve on warmed plates – photos and bits and pieces to follow!

Scone stack photos!

Not too shabby – assembled

There's nothing like a perfectly poached

egg

A side view showing the depth of the scone

Last but by no means least is the mornay sauce element – it's really easy and freezes too.

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

salt and black pepper

½ tsp Dijon mustard - optional

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese, mustard and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly.

It's not compulsory to make 4-6 servings of the mornay sauce, halve the recipe if you prefer – personally I don't see the point of going to the bother of making a good sauce when you can freeze what you don't need for another day. A mornay sauce has many uses – it's perfect with smoked fish and hard boiled eggs – sounds a little odd but it works!

Next up, another weekend breakfast idea.