Creamy Potato, Bacon & Brie Tartiflette

Creamy Potato, Bacon & Brie Tartiflette

You can tell it is winter now. Some mornings the harvested corn fields are as white as snow then the ice melts slowly as the sun lazily makes an appearance on the horizon. Sometimes it’s dry, sometimes it rains, wonderfully turning all grassy areas in a muddy sludge, ideal for taking the dogs out for a walk. Not. If you’re lucky the wind lies still when you’re out and about, but boy if it’s a bad day the wind with its chill factor will cut right through you like a sharp knife. What doesn’t change is the sky. It stays grey, whether it’s light grey or dark grey, it’s simply the shade that changes…

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Beef & Potato Hash Browns

Beef & Potato Hash Browns

Earlier this year I posted a recipe the way I like to prepare Potato Hash Browns. Funnily enough, after keeping track of Greedy Gourmet’s statistics, this potato recipe is one of the most popular on the website. Now I’d like to present to you the meat lover’s version. Let me tell you how this recipe came about.

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New Potato & Dill Salad

New Potato & Dill Salad

Like any human being my personality and behaviour are marked with idiosyncrasies. One of them is when I was a child I used to love growing herbs. Lots of them; from lemon balm to sage. You see, herbs aren’t just any plants. They don’t just stand there looking pretty with a flower or two, but actually have a purpose – good for cooking and your health – and that gave me a great kick. Did I cook? No. Did I eat them? No. Did I water them? Not really, so if our gardener didn’t do it they died, which they all eventually did.

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Potato Hash Browns

Potato Hash Browns

We all know the saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Hmmm. What about women? I know for sure that this old adage applies to me very well. On lazy weekend mornings while we still recover from Gabriel’s wake up drill I would nudge Neil in bed and start fluttering my eyes at him. Then he knows. The potato monster wants her hash browns for breakfast. And not just a tiny ladies’ portion, but a humungous heap of crispy, buttered potatoes sprawling over the plate’s rim. With a groan and a moan he would pop into the shower and then go downstairs to cook our favourite breakfast. Without blinking I would eat his share too if he’s not fast enough. To complete the meal we usually have a few rashers of bacon, eggs fried in olive oil, baked beans and buttery mushrooms. A complete English breakfast. After a hard week’s work we all deserve it, don’t we?

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Potato Latkes with Caviar and Crème Fraîche

Potato Latkes with Caviar and Crème Fraîche

It’s that time of the month again. No, no. Not that time! Nicole from For the Love of Food has paired over 40 bloggers in her Taste & Create event. The idea is each partner has to make one of the recipes on the other’s website. This time round my partner is The Allergy Kid. All her recipes contain no eggs, dairy products, nuts or red meat, since her son is allergic to them all and in case he does get it into his system, he ends up in the Emergency Room.

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Lamb and Leek Hotpot

Lamb and Leek Hotpot

The first time I came across a hotpot was when Marcus Wareing prepared it in the first Great British Menu series. Even though he took great care to research his subject and prepared it most lovingly I couldn’t help but turn up my nose at it. It’s as if the original cook thought it’s a great idea to throw every single root vegetable under the sun into the pot with a bit of meat in a slapdash way and bung it in the oven, hoping that in a few hours his meal would somehow be magically transformed into something wonderful. Instead all the vegetables turn into the same colour and mysteriously taste the same, seeing that it’s difficult to discern between a potato, turnip and who knows what else that’s been cooked ad infinitum.

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Potato, Fennel & Caraway Soup

Potato, Fennel & Caraway Soup

Winter is officially upon us. When I got up this morning and peeked through the window all I could see was white. For a second I thought it snowed, but actually the whole countryside was frosted with ice. Slowly as the sun rose, the ice melted and the once bleak landscape got infused with a lush green. That’s what I love about England; lots of rain keeps the vegetation green. In the South African province Gauteng (Transvaal for older readers), hard rain comes down in spring and summer, whereas in the winter the atmosphere is bone dry and the scenery a mosaic of yellow and brown. I guess each setting has got its own appeal and it’s a matter of preference.

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Broccoli, Pea & Leek Soup

Broccoli, Pea & Leek Soup

A very green soup indeed. Sometimes it is difficult to get your 5-a-day, but this soup really helps in this regard, not to mention all the fibre it contains. It seems like an unlikely combination but once you try it you’ll appreciate the verdant and robust taste of the broccoli, the sweetness of the peas and the “leeky” flavour. The potato helps to give the soup a bit more “weight”, in other words more substance so that it can easily be served as a main meal. What’s more this soup can be enjoyed year round.
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