Potato Pie

This came about after I had spent a couple of weeks in and out of hospital so had loads of potatoes left over that the rest of the family didn’t need having lived off pasta and takeaways.

Ingredients

Potatoes mashed with butter and milk

Bacon lardons  optional

Onion finely chopped

Mixed herbs

Marmite

Cheese – cheddar

Spinach

I boiled up the potatoes until they were very soft then mashed them really well with loads of butter and quite a lot of milk.  

In the meantime I had fried the bacon lardons and onions in a touch of butter then added the mixed herbs.

I then added a good teaspoon of marmite to the potato mix.  It needs to colour it but not overpower the potato.  Nobody should be able to realise what was added especially marmite haters such as my husband.  Mix in really well, this just adds a wonderful depth to the taste. 

I added the bacon mix at this point and mixed it all well.

Then add plenty of grated cheese -  I always use cheddar as I have plenty but you could use red Leicester which would give great colour, or a vegetarian alternative.

Then arrange in a baking dish.

A good layer of spinach makes this a meal in itself.  Add the potato mix as a complete layer.  If you have a small deep dish you could do spinach, potato, spinach, potato.  Then top it with another good covering of grated cheese.

This is now ready to pop into a hot oven 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.

A great filling warming dish, you could serve another vegetable or a salad with it.  I served with a bowl of baked beans that I had added a teaspoon of curry powder to.  I made enough for five but one child didn’t eat with us that night.  It all disappeared.

Enjoy and let me know how you try yours.

Tiggy

Follow my other blog at Tiggy Hayes

Tip of the Week - Nigella Seeds

Nigella Seeds are a common ingredient particularly in indian cuisine.  

 They are not always easy to find if you  call them Nigella Seeds.

The seeds themselves come from an old cottage garden plant the Nigella Damascena  also known as love-in-the-mist or devil-in-the-bush.  Harvested and then dried they are sold as Kalonji or Black Onion Seeds.

They taste like a combination of onion, pepper and oregano.  They also have a slightly bitter mustard after taste but added to curries and pulses they are said to be good for many digestive ailments.

check out my other comments on Tiggy Hayes

Cupboard Turkey

This came about by accident, one day being organised I had got out some thin turkey fillets to defrost and then slice up into a sauce.   As it was the middle of the holidays and we spent most of the day out we ended up eating out and the forgotten defrosted fillets sat forlornly in the sink waiting for cooking. 

I cooked them in the tomatoes that night.  The following day I added the rest of the ingredients and we ate them.  If I was planning the meal I would do it all in the one day.

Ingredients

Turkey fillets

Tinned tomatoes with herbs (you can add a few extra mixed herbs)

Peppers sliced and pre-roasted

Cream

Buttery mashed potato

Cook the fillets in the tinned tomatoes.  

Add the peppers or anything else in the fridge you want to use up, broccoli, spinach, chopped carrots.  You could even add sweetcorn or peas at this point.

I had some old double cream that needed using up so covered the dish with this.

Some mashed potato made with loads of butter and really mashed up well spread over the top and scored with a fork.

Into the hot oven for a good 20 minutes to half an hour until the potato is deep golden and the filling is bubbling. 

I had added a dash of water to the fillets as the tomatoes had dried out a little overnight.  This meant they were still incredibly moist. You wouldn't need this if you were doing it all in one day.

This dish went down surprisingly well for a grab what’s in the cupboard meal.  Some meals are obviously hits as this one was but not all mine are so popular.

Give it a try and see what you think, be sure to let me know how you get on, what else could we add to develop it?   Do you have any store cupboard meals?

Enjoy

Tiggy

Check out my other blog at Tiggy Hayes

Cauliflower Cheese

Sometimes I like to serve something healthy and nearly vegetarian. 

Totally vegetarian dishes in a house full of growing athletic boys creates a feeling of  scarcity and hard done by.

I find bacon lardons or pancetta a fabulous addition to many dishes which otherwise could be vegetarian.  If you do not eat meat please leave out.

My husband and I had served cauliflower cheese as a side dish at our wedding because we both really like it and we had both chosen it on our first meal date.  Seventeen years later and he still loves my version of this simple dish adapted to allow it to be the star of the show. 

Ingredients

Bacon lardons / pancetta

Cauliflower /Broccoli  broken into spears

Spinach – I had a bag of baby spinach leaves in the fridge.

Tomatoes – I used small Vine cherry tomatoes and sliced them

Butter  / Milk  /  Flour

Mature tasting cheese – I used cheddar – grated

Bread – 2 slices  crumbed – a good use of crusts if you have some that will not be used

Firstly fry your bacon lardons using a tiny bit of butter if required until crispy.

Add butter, milk, flour and half the cheese to make a cheese sauce with the bacon in it.

Meanwhile  boil some water and put cauliflower in for a few minutes until just beginning to  soften.  Remove, leave to drain then add the broccoli spears to the water for a couple of minutes only.   Both these vegetables need some crunch left in them.  

Lay the spinach in the bottom or the dish.

Add cauliflower and broccoli to the dish and cover with the cheese sauce.

Top the dish with the sliced tomatoes.

I crumb my bread slices and then add the grated cheese to the mixed crumbs – this mixes them really well together.  Sprinkle liberally over the tomatoes.

Cook on high in the oven till the cheese sauce is bubbling and the breadcrumbs have turned golden brown. 

Serve with fresh crusty bread or in this instant I served garlic bread. 

It goes down a treat and if in the unlikely event there is any left over makes a great lunch dish the following day.

Everyone will have their own method of making this dish from pre-cooking the vegetables to how to create the perfect cheese sauce.  How do you serve yours?   As a main dish or as a side, do you add broccoli or spinach or do you keep it true to the name?   We think the garlic bread compliments the meal really well but what would you like to serve with alongside the dish?

If you enjoyed this meal, check out my mumerings and comments on life by reading Tiggy Hayes.