Fondant Potatoes

Probably one of the most classic accompaniments to alot of main courses, the fondant potato, is held in high regard for alot of people. It's one of those dishes you can also use as a vehicle for many flavours (depending on what you're serving it with) and goes down a treat with alot of food, due to its universailty.

I put these alongside a roast shoulder of lamb for mothers day, and they went down very well.

Herein, i show you the standard way of making them - but will also suggest a variety of ways they can be tweaked where necessary. I make no promises however save one, - if you've not tried them before, you're going to love them.

You will need:

1 good sized potato per fondant potato (you can however make mini ones or large ones, the method remains the same)

Stock, of almost any variety. Usual practise is to use the stock of a meat or flavour you're serving it with.
Chicken stock, in its versatility however can be universal. If you have veal stock on hand, use that. Youll need enough to cover them when in the roasting tin.

Butter - as much or as little as you like. Bear in mind though that if there is no butter the term fondant becomes somewhat redundant. i usually go for approx 25-50g per fondant potato if making large ones. Yes you can use spread / margarine but we all know that its never the same.

A disc cutter the size of the fondant potato you want to make.

Any other seasonings / flavourings you want to incorporate. If serving with duck / game throw in a star anise or two. If serving with red meat add some mustard seeds and a good amount of crushed garlic and black pepper. Herbs are always welcome in fondant potato, and the more sturdy herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme go with pretty much every meat. A few chopped onions and a clove never go amiss either.

The doing bit:

Wash and peel your potatoes, and discard the peel / feed to your rabbit / make crisps out of them. (I'll leave that up to you). Using your cutter cut out the fondant potato and trim accordingly. Usually i use a turning knife to trim the top into an even taper but if you wish to cut them top and bottom so they're flat, that can work also.

When your potatoes are cut out any trimmings you have set to one side for mash / other uses (dont waste them).  Heat up a large frying pan and add a small amount of oil and coat the pan until smoking hot. Sear the potatoes until coloured both sides then add to the roasting tin. Pour in the stock (preferrably hot) and the butter and any other seasonings, then cover the tray with greaseproof paper and tinfoil. Put in preheated oven to about 180C then check every half an hour to see if theyre ready by piercing with a blade in the center. If the knife goes in easily, remove from oven, and leave to cool. Extract from the stock, then keep the buttered stock to one side for a sauce or similar.

Theyre ready to eat - so reheat in oven where necessary. Oh, and lastly - enjoy.

Fish Cakes

Image courtesy of redsnapperseafoods.co.uk

The fish cake I suppose is a bit of a misnomer - no two are ever the same. Everyone has their own tweaks here and there as to their preferences of the fish cake, and everyone makes them differently. This recipe makes a large batch for an appetiser sized fishcake, or enough for a few larger ones for meals and main courses. (they're lovely with parsley sauce)

I've included this recipe with that in mind - you can shape and coat these fish cakes as big and small as you like - i like to do bitesize ones for warm nibbles for guests, or even as a starter - a pyramid of tiny fishcakes with a chilli jam dipping sauce always goes down well.

As a fish cake these can be done with any white fish meat such as crab, whiting, cod, etc. Whichever is cheapest will suffice. If you can get fish trimmings from the fishmonger even better. They'll be very cheap and perfect for these.

You will need....

250g plain unseasoned mash potato
250g of Flaked Poached Salmon
75g of Smoked Salmon
30g of chopped dill
1 Lemons juiced
Pinch of Nutmeg
50g of crushed anchovy’s
Seasoning

The doing bit

Once all the ingredients are cold blend together, shape and coat them in crushed Jacobs cream crackers, crushed cornflakes, or seasoned breadcrumbs (sieved)

Fish related joke: "A man walked into a fish and chip shop with a salmon under his arm. He asks 'have you any fishcakes?' - the man behind the counter says 'sadly not, all gone today'. The man gestures towards the salmon and says 'awww! Its his birthday!'"

To cook, sear in a pan and leave to rest in a warm oven until warm throughout. Alternatively they can be deep fried.

Rosemary & Apricot Stuffing

Image courtesy of 4.bp.blogspot.com

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to stuffing, in that if its not inside meat or fish or vegetables then its not really a stuffing. For me its meant to be inside whatever its stuffing so that it can add to and absorb the flavours of the carrier. That said I am amenable enough to appreciate that people serve it on the side as less of a fuss and bother in preparation. I suppose ultimately its all down to preference.

Composed at the request of "jaffacake" this rosemary and apricot stuffing recipe works well for pork and lamb alike, with all sections of the pig / lamb applicable such as leg, shoulder, loin or fillet.

It can also serve as a good filling / padding for meatloaf if you come across some cheap lamb or pork mince, which is good especially during the winter months as its hearty, filling and full of flavour and uses robust winter herbs.

Ingredients

1/2 pint sweet cider or apple juice
2 eggs (beaten)
150 g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
200 g smoked bacon (streaky is best for flavour and cheapest) chopped to roughly the size of your onions and celery)
150 g dried ready-to-eat apricots, roughly chopped
Good handful of fresh rosemary & thyme. Add some sage if youre feeling fruity.
Coarse Grain Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
zest 1 small orange
pinch nutmeg
about 5 slices of brown or wholemeal bread toasted, and food processed into breadcrumbs

Saute bacon,onions, garlic and celery in a pan until soft and a little colour added

Combine all ingredients with breadcrumbs in a bowl, melt the butter and add until unifom mixture is reached.

Wrap mixture tightly in clingfilm into a sausage shape, tying both ends then steam for about an hour until fully cooked (firm to the touch).

slice into pieces and reheat as neccessary. Devour.