What a lovely weekend we have had full of sunshine! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (apart from a fox hit who took 2 of my hens whilst they were dust bathing).
And now appears the quintessential vegetable of England – Jersey Royals Potatoes. They have been grown on the island for 140 years and today there are approximately 20 island farmers who grow them (and often no other crops) on approximately 7,300 acres. They are one of the few remaining seasonal foods and can only be grown on Jersey to have the name – so lets make the most of them!
Watercress Soup with Jersey Royals
- 25g butter
- 1 large banana shallots, roughly chopped
- 50g Jersey Royal potatoes, washed, scrubbed and thinly sliced
- 225ml chicken stock (vegetarians can substitute vegetable stock)
- 110g watercress, roughly chopped
- 75 ml double cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg
For the Jersey Royals
- 200 g Jersey Royal potatoes, washed
- 50 g butter
- 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- 60 mls double cream
- ½ lemon, juice only
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- watercress, to garnish
For the soup, heat a pan until hot, then add the butter and shallots and fry for 2-3 minutes over a low heat until softened, but not browned. Add the potatoes and stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 8-9 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender. Add the watercress and continue to simmer for two minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 2-3 minutes. Pour the soup into a food processor and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pan and add the cream. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and grate in a pinch of nutmeg.
For the Jersey Royals, place the potatoes into a pan over a medium heat and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes, then return to the pan. Add the butter and chives and roughly crush the potatoes with the back of a fork. Meanwhile, pour the cream into a bowl and add the lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk the cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
To serve, place a large spoonful of the crushed potatoes into the centre of each of four shallow soup bowls. Ladle the soup around the crushed potatoes, leaving islands of potato visible. Top each pile of crushed potatoes with a spoonful of soured cream and a few sprigs of watercress.
Coconut Potato Bowl with Lime and Ginger
- 100g (or as much as you like) Jersey Royal potatoes, roughly chopped
- 75g cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- Sea salt and pepper
- 50g (or as much as you like) asparagus
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- 500g superfood salad
- 15g coconut flakes, toasted , to garnish
For the dressing; 1 tbsp olive oil finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime 1 cm grated ginger
Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. Place the potatoes and cauliflower florets in a roasting tray, drizzle over the coconut oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes until tender and beginning to brown. In the meantime, prepare everything else; brush the asparagus with ½ tsp olive oil, heat a griddle pan until hot and cook the stems until charred and tender. Set aside. For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil and lime juice, then stir in the zest and ginger and season with some salt and pepper. To assemble, arrange the potatoes and cauliflower to one side and place the other ingredients round the bowl (or how you prefer), drizzle with the dressing and scatter over the coconut flakes, or serve on the side.
Ailsa cooks for One 