Baked New Potatoes with Camembert and Poppy Seeds

I love cheese. Who doesn't love cheese?! And not just the food. I love cheesy movies, cheesy songs, cheesy chat-up lines. So on the subject of cheese and loving spuds (I'm Irish) I thought I'd make this lovely recipe from Olive magazine. I didn't have any poppy seeds so I used chia seeds instead. The dish was sill yummy. I also baked the dish for double the recommended time as the potatoes weren't fully cooked after the recommended 30 mins cooking time.

Ingredients (serves 4):
500g new potatoes
1 orange, zested and juiced
Camembert
Poppy Seeds


Method
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160/gas 4. Wash the baby new potoatoes and cut in half. Be sure to cut some of them in half lengthways.

Juice and zest the orange. Slice the camembert into thick wedges.

Tip the potatoes into a shallow baking dish, arrange the camembert on top and then sprinkle on the orange zest and juice followed by the poppy seeds.

Season well and add a few drops of olive oil. Bake for 60 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. 

Beef Fillet with Beetroot Crisps

Having made Creamy Beetroot Risotto last night, I had some fresh beetroot left over. In an effort to avoid any waste, I decided to make this dish from the BBC GoodFood website. The original recipe serves 6, and as there were only two of us eating I reduced the amount of ingredients used. The recipe was easy to make, especially the beetroot crisps which I'd thought might be a bit tricky. The whole dish took just over one hour to make and was really tasty. I would definitely make the crisps again by themselves as they are a much healthier version to the ones I buy.
 

Ingredients (Serves 2):                                        

* 4 tbsp good olive oil
* 1 large fillet steak
* 5 shallots
* 1 tsp golden caster sugar
* 3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
* vegetable oil, for deep frying
* 2 large uncooked and unpeeled beetroot
* 1 bag of salad leaves
* Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Method
 Preheat the oven to fan 160C/180C/gas 4. Heat 1 tbsp of  olive oil in a frying pan, add the beef and sear on all sides until nicely browned. Drizzle some olive oil on an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top and add steak to dish. Cook for up to 50 mins in the oven depending on how well you like your steak done. I like mine medium-well so cooked it for approx 35 mins.

Peel the shallots, leaving the roots intact and cut in half lengthways. Heat another tbsp olive oil in the frying pan, add the shallots and gently cook for 10 minutes, turning until softened. Sprinkle with the caster sugar and cook for a further few minutes, then remove from the heat and tip into a bowl.

Add the balsamic vinegar (I used Modena which is thick and sweet) and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Cut the beetroot to make four quarters. Using a potato peeler, peel the entire beetroot to make thin slices. A knife could also be used to finely slice the beetroot, but I found a peeler easier. Place the slices on a tray covered in kitchen paper and pat dry to remove excess juice.

Heat vegetable oil, about 2.5cm deep, in a wide pan or wok. Check the oil is hot enough by carefully dropping in a slice of beetroot - if it immediately rises to the surface covered with bubbles, the oil is ready. Fry the beetroot slices for approximately 5 minutes until they are curled and crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain well on a large plate lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool.

Cut the cold beef into thin slices using a very sharp, unserrated knife. Put the salad leaves in the bowl with the shallots, toss well so the balsamic vinegar and oil from the shallots is spread over the lettuce.

Spread the salad and shallots over a large serving platter or plate. Arrange the slices of beef on top of the leaves. Scatter the beetroot crisps over the dish and serve :)

Like Beetroot? You might also like this:

  

Creamy Beetroot Risotto

Carrot, Cumin and Feta Fritters with Coriander Yogurt

Sticking with the theme of brightly coloured food, I decided to make these lovely fritters for a mid-morning snack. They are great for a relaxing weekend when you have some time on your hands and only take around 30 mins to make. The original recipe is from Olive Magazine and can be seen here.


 Ingredients (serves 2):
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 medium egg
* 4 tbsp self-raising flour
* 125g carrots , coarsely grated
* 1 small onion , finely sliced
* 50g feta cheese , crumbled
* Extra virgin olive oil

To serve:
* 4 tbsp natural yogurt
* 2 tbsp chopped coriander

Method
Chop enough coriander to make two tablespoons. Stir into the natural yogurt.

Peel and grate two medium-sized carrots (enough to make 125g grated carrot).

Finely slice one onion. Crack the egg into a bowl. Add in cumin, flour and 2 tbsp water. Mix until you have a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into a large bowl. Stir in grated carrots, onion and crumbled feta cheese. Season well. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Spoon dollops of the batter into the pan, flatten slightly with the back of a spoon or fork and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Serve with coriander yogurt.

Creamy Beetroot Risotto

For my first post on this blog I wanted to make something I had never made before. The man in my life has a great love for bright coloured foods and he especially likes beetroot. I found this recipe, which is by Emma Lewis, on the BBC GoodFood website. I made a few changes to the amounts used in the ingredients and modified the cooking method slightly. The beetroot wasn't overpowering and the dish was lovely and creamy. It took just over an hour to make and the recipe was very easy to follow. I took some photos as I went along.


Ingredients (Serves 2):                                         
    * 500g fresh beetroot
    * 3 tbsp olive oil
    * knob of butter
    * 1 onion
    * 2 garlic cloves
    * 125g risotto rice
    * 250ml white wine
    * 500ml hot vegetable stock
    * handful grated Parmesan cheese

To serve:
    * 4 tbsp soured cream
    * handful chopped dill

Method
Heat oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Peel the beetroot (wear kitchen gloves if you don't want your hands to get stained) and cut into large chunks/wedges.

Place on a baking tray covered in tinfoil. Drizzle over 2 tbsp olive oil and toss the beetroot. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 50 mins to 1 hour (depending on oven) until the beetroot chunks are soft.

Heat the remaining olive oil with the butter in a deep pan. Peel and chop the onion and garlic, and tip into the pan. Cook for 3-5 mins until translucent.

Stir in the rice until well coated with the butter and oil. Pour in the white wine, and let the mixture simmer for 5 mins, stirring continuously. Add vegetable stock in batches (I used a knorr cube mixed with boiling water) and cook for 20-25 mins on a low heat until rice is soft. Keeping stirring the mixture and add more boiling water if starts to become dry.

Remove the beetroot from the oven. Blend half of the beetroot to make a purée. Chop the remaining wedges into small pieces. Stir the beetroot and grated Parmesan into rice.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some dill sprinkled over.

Delicious!

Like Beetroot? You might also like this:

Fillet Beef with Beetroot Crisps