Dauphinoise Potatoes with Wild Garlic

Potatoes can be made into so much more than just chips or boiled spuds. This variation is one of my favourites, and is far from dull. It can make an ordinary meal into something that little bit more special, and can look quite good on a plate of food for a dinner party.

I’ve used wild garlic here, but if you can’t get your hands on that, you can use 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped) and 2 spring onions (also finely chopped) instead.

If you can, leave the skin on your potatoes; just give them a good scrub instead of peeling them. Most of the vitamin goodness in the potatoes is located just under the skin, and by peeling them you lose this. The skin also contains a lot of flavour, which it would be a shame to miss out on. Personally, I also think that the skin is rather pretty on thinly sliced tatties. Of course, if your potatoes are last year’s, and the skin is really though, then by all means do peel them.

For an extra special treat, replace some of, or even all, the milk with double cream.  

Serves 2 as a side dish 

400g potatoes

5 leaves of wild garlic (OR 1 clove of garlic & 2 spring onions)

1 ½ tablespoon butter

200ml whole milk

60g cheddar cheese

Pre-heat your oven to 180^oC.

Finely slice your potatoes, and chop your wild garlic. Butter the sides of a small heat-proof dish.

Layer the potatoes and garlic in the heat-proof dish. Make sure the top layer is potatoes, as the wild garlic will get burn if left exposed to the heat of the oven. Cut the butter into little blobs, and place on top of the final layer of potatoes. Pour over the milk, and place the dish in the oven. It can be a good idea to place a baking tray under the dish; as otherwise the milk can easily get splattered at the bottom of your oven if it boils over.

Bake the dish for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft when you pierce them with a knife.

Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the potatoes. Place the dish back in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

You can either serve the potatoes in the heat-proof dish, or you can use a food ring to cut out portions and serve straight onto your plates.

Baked beans with balsamic vinegar

Being a big fan of baked beans, I often make my own. They are just as nice as bought ones, but because I make them myself, they are more varied, as I make a different variant each time. I use different types of beans, and I add different things to the tomato sauce. Some times I use tinned beans, and some times I boil dried beans. Dried beans are usually cheaper, but there are times when I’m too lazy to sort them out with soaking and boiling. And then I use tinned beans.

Makes 5 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

800g tinned tomatoes

250g borlotti beans

If using tinned beans, drain them.

If using dried beans, soak and boil them according to instructions on the packet.

Very very finely chop your onion. Warm the oil in a large thick bottomed saucepan, and add the onion. Sweat the onion until it is soft. Add the salt and dried herbs, and stir well until the herbs are evenly distributed. Add the balsamic vinegar, and stir well again.

Chop the tinned tomatoes, and add to the onions. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the beans, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. 

Okra in a rich tomato sauce

Juicy vegetables can be a brilliant side dish for things such as burgers, baked potatoes, or a quiche. This dish is simple yet tasty, and is quick to make. You can make it with green beans if you can’t get your hands on okra.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium size shallot

2 small cloves of garlic

10 sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato purée

400g tinned tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried basil

175g okra

Warm the oil in a saucepan while finely chopping the shallot. Add the shallot to the oil and turn down the heat. Stir well, and make sure you don’t burn the shallot, as this is easily done. Sweat the shallot while finely chopping the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Add these to the shallot, and stir well. Now add the tomato purée, stir, and add the chopped tinned tomatoes. Stir, and then add the dried basil.

Leave to simmer under cover for about 10 minutes. Top and tail the okra, and add to the tomato sauce. Then leave to simmer for another 20 minutes until the okra are soft. 

Wild Garlic and Cheese Oat Biscuits

Oatcakes are a brilliant snack, either on their own, or with some cheese or a dip. They're quite expensive when bought in the shop, especially if you're buying gluten free ones. So making your own can save quite a bit of money, and also they are rather nice. You can use all sorts of added ingredients to make different flavours. 

Makes about 25 biscuits

150g rice flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

¼ teaspoon salt

50g butter

20ml (4 teaspoons) caster sugar

150g gluten free oats 

100ml whole milk

50g cheddar cheese

25g wild garlic leaves

Pre-heat your oven to 200^oC. 

Use a sieve to mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter, and use your hands to crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Once these are combined, add the caster sugar and oats, and stir well. Add the milk, the grated cheddar cheese, and finally the finely chopped wild garlic leaves. Stir well, and then use your hands to knead the ingredients into a biscuit dough. It should be a little dry, but will stick together as a lump. 

You can use a rolling pin to make a thin (about 5mm) sheet, and then use a glass or biscuit mould to cut out the biscuits, or you could make little balls and press them flat. The first option gives more identical biscuits, but I find the second option easier, although the biscuits will have a more 'rustic' look. 

Place the biscuits onto a baking tray, and bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes. Leave them to cool on a cooling rack. 

Wild Garlic Pesto

Having picked lots and lots of wild garlic leaves recently, I've been thinking of ways to use them. So I googled and found some great inspiration. The recipe for this lovely pesto comes from River Cottage. It has a fantasticly vibrant colour, and quite a strong flavour.

My jar was rather too full, but I knew that there was no point using several jars, as some of it would be eaten quite soon.

Makes 1 jar of pesto

100g wild garlic leaves
40g leek
60g walnuts
60g pecorino romano cheese
50ml olive oil, plus extra for sealing the jar

Measure out your ingredients, and place everything except the oil in a food processor. The garlic leaves don't necessarily need to be washed, but mine were picked on a muddy riverbank just after a rainy morning, so needed a little rinse. Grate the cheese before placing it in the food processor. You can use any hard cheese, but you'll get the best results by using a strongly flavoured one.

Whizz the ingredients, and while you do so, slowly pour in the olive oil. If you find that the pesto is a little firm for your liking, then you can add some more oil.

Pour the pesto into a clean jar, and shake it a little to release any air-bubbles, as these would make the pesto degrade sooner. Once all the air-bubbles are gone, pour a little olive oil over the top. This seals the pesto and keeps air away from it, and therefore prolonging its life.

Keep the jar in the fridge until it is all eaten.

Wild Garlic

My friend and I went for a walk in Farndale, North Yorkshire, yesterday. We had come to look at the wild daffodils, but they were not out yet - instead we came across lots and lots of wild garlic. The first hint of its presence was the aroma. As we entered the small woodland around the stream we became engulfed in the gentle garlic scents, and the forager in me was awakened.

We had come to go for a walk, so we decided that since there was lots of wild garlic not far from where we had parked the car, we would go for a walk first, and then come back and gather some leaves afterwards. We had a lovely walk, through beautiful countryside, but I have to admit that throughout all of it I was looking forward to picking the wild garlic, and taking it home to create good food.

You recognise the wild garlic by its smell and taste, and the pointed oval shaped leaves. You can also use the flowers and bulbs, but they are quite small and have a very mild taste, so leaves are the best bit. When you bite into the leaves you get a sharp garlic flavour, quite pugnant and peppery, but milder than the garlic bulbs you buy in the shops.

You can make all sorts of delicious food with wild garlic leaves; from pesto to soups to bread - your imagination is the limit. The leaves can be picked in early spring, and are usually found in woodland areas. They can be picked and kept in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.