Читать книгу My Kitchen - James Martin - Страница 6

Serves 4

Vegetarian

4 large floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

½ bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped chives

110g (4oz) flour, for dusting

150ml (5fl oz) olive oil

110g (4oz) butter

4 duck eggs

200g (7oz) watercress

50ml (2fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

20ml (¾fl oz) white wine vinegar

Salt and black pepper

Potato cakes are excellent as a starter or as a filling snack. They can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge until needed. Duck eggs are a Saturday Kitchen favourite. Cook them just like hens’ eggs; however, they’re too rich to use in baking.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 20–25 minutes, then drain and return to the pan. With the pan on a heatproof surface, mash the potatoes well, then transfer to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the spring onions and chives and divide the mixture into eight balls.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour, place a potato ball on it and shape into a round, flat cake about 1cm (½in) thick and 5cm (2in) wide. Repeat with the rest of the potato and place the finished cakes in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

Add the olive oil to a non-stick frying pan, dust the potato cakes with flour and fry over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of the pan, you may have to cook them in batches.

While the potato cakes are cooking, melt the butter in another non-stick frying pan, set over a medium heat, and once it is hot and bubbling, crack the duck eggs into the pan and cook them until the edges are crispy but the centres remain soft.

Dress the watercress with the extra-virgin olive oil and the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Place 1–2 potato cakes on each plate, top with a fried egg, drizzle with the leftover butter from the egg pan and serve with some watercress on the side.