Oven Roasted Potatoes with Herbs

I've always loved sauté potatoes i.e. small cubes of potato that are par-boiled, then fried in a little oil until golden.  These days, since roasting vegetables in the oven has become popular, it's even easier to produce a dish of light, crispy potatoes.

These potatoes taste even better than the traditional sauté because they are roasted with fresh herbs and garlic.  If you haven't got fresh herbs handy,  sprinkle with dried ones such as ground coriander, paprika and dried thyme.

Ingredients           Serves 4

About 900g salad potatoes, such as Charlotte or Nicola
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh rosemary or thyme
3 tbsp olive oil



Method

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas Mark 7.

Scrub the potatoes clean, then cut into pieces between 1 - 2cm square.   Dry them with some kitchen paper as you transfer to a bowl.

Peel and chop the garlic and the herbs.

Put the olive oil into a large roasting tin and place in the oven to heat through for a couple of minutes.  Then remove the tin from the oven and tip the potatoes into the hot oil.   Add the chopped garlic and herbs and season with salt and pepper.  

Now give the potatoes a good stir. I use a couple of wooden spatulas or a fish slice to make sure the potatoes are completely coated in oil and herbs.

Return the tin to the oven and roast for about 40 minutes,  turning the potatoes a couple of times midway until they are crisp and golden. 

Serve straight from the oven with any fish, vegetable or salad dish!  

Root Vegetable Rosti

"The secret to maintaining a healthy mind and body is to forget the word "dieting" and think instead of introducing some balance and variety into every aspect of life." 

This quote is from "Mind Mood Foods" by Hazel Courteney and Kathryn Marsden. It's a book that has been around for a while, published in 1998, but it's message is just as relevant today, probably more so.  Mood swings, constant tiredness and inability to concentrate are all symptoms that are commonplace today and they can all be caused by what we eat.  Cutting down on sugar, caffeine, processed foods and animal products can transform our well-being, not only feeding our bodies but helping to lift our spirits and calm our mind too.

What I like about this particular quote is that it highlights the fact that it's important to feed our whole self, not just our stomachs!   Everything we do each day, our work, hobbies, interactions with others, etc. impacts how we feel.  The health of our mind depends totally on the quality of our thinking. The health of our bodies does too. When we're fulfilled and happy in our lives, our bodies respond to those good feelings.  When we're bored and frustrated, our bodies feel it too and no amount of good food can make up for that.  When food is just an escape, a quick-fix to get us through the day, our bodies are forced to cope and they usually do, for a while.  In the long-run though, it's about finding "balance and variety,"  that vital combination of good food, good thinking, good living that ultimately creates a healthy mind and body.

I have to admit the book concentrates on nutritional values a little too much for me.  Worrying about vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins has never been a priority for me.  I like to keep things simple and I know my body well enough by now. It works best on a daily supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, taken regularly through the day, with occasional fish, rice and pasta,  a minimum of sugar, very few processed foods and no meat or animal produce.  This has worked fine for me for the past thirty years and couldn't be easier!

Eating lots of freshly cooked vegetables need never be boring if you make your plate look appetising, taking into account colour, texture and flavour.  Here's a lovely vegetable recipe from "Mind Mood Foods" (with a few added comments of my own!) that I've enjoyed and I hope you do too. I've always loved potato rosti and this one contains parsnips and carrots too which add both colour and flavour.  You can use sweet potatoes instead of ordinary ones or swede instead of carrot. Also it's easy to reduce the quantities if you're only cooking for one or two. 

Ingredients              Serves four

225g (8oz) medium-sized potatoes, peeled
2 medium carrots, washed
2 small or 1 large parsnip, peeled
2 tbsp fresh chopped chives or parsley
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (or 2 shallots)


Method

Cut the potatoes into quarters if large.  Cut the parsnips in quarters lengthwise and remove the woody centres. Slice the carrots  in half lengthwise. 

Place in a large saucepan of lightly salted water and boil for for 6 minutes.  Drain well.  When cool enough to handle, grate the parboiled vegetables into a bowl (or use the grater attachment on your food processor).  Stir in the chopped parsley and seasoning.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes until golden.  Add the vegetable mixture, stir briefly to mix, then form into a large cake the size of the frying pan, pressing down gently with a fork.  Fry over a medium heat until golden brown underneath.

Carefully turn the cake over. I find the best way is to slide it out onto a large dinner plate,  then holding the sides of the plate firmly,  flip it over as you return it the pan.   This needs to be done quickly with a certain amount of precision!

Fry until the under side is browned and crisp too.   Cut into wedges and serve with  freshly cooked vegetables, such as green beans and baby spinach leaves.

Moroccan Fish Tagine

Even though I haven't eaten meat, eggs or dairy products for thirty years, I'm not vegetarian or vegan as I eat fish.  It's always seemed like the right decision for me and I've never read anything in all that time that has convinced me that eating fish is bad for my health, in fact quite the opposite.

However, I don't eat it that often and when I do, I like to know where the fish I buy comes from so I'm not contributing to over-fishing or unnatural farming practices.  Fortunately, choosing fish clearly labelled sustainable or responsibly sourced and certified by the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council)  is an option that is available to us in the UK.

A few years ago, I came across a recipe for a fish tagine created by the London restaurant "Moro".   I've simplified their recipe but it still retains that wonderful Moroccan flavour and everyone seems to love it.  

Any filleted white fish will do, such as cod, haddock or hake. Just make sure there are no bones for some unsuspecting person to find on their plate or, worse still, in their mouth!  The fish is marinated in a traditional Moroccan charmoula which is what really makes this dish special.  

It's an ideal recipe for a party as you can make most of it in advance,  then simply cook the fish when you're ready to eat.  When you bring your piping hot tagine to the table and remove the lid, your guests will be blown away!

Serve with some good rustic bread, a mixed green salad or a green vegetable.

Ingredients for four people

For the Charmoula:

1 clove of garlic
1 level tsp sea salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch of fresh coriander

4 thickish fillets of white fish, skinned
3 green or yellow peppers, sliced
18 - 20 small waxy new potatoes

 (e.g. Pink Fir Apple, Charlotte)
About 15 ripe plum/cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
A handful of black olives
100ml water

First make your charmoula.  In a pestle and mortar, grind the cumin seeds to a powder, then tip out on to a plate.   

Now, using your pestle and mortar again, pound together a peeled clove of garlic and a teaspoon of sea salt until creamy smooth. 

Add your ground cumin powder, then the paprika, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and finely chopped coriander.  Stir well together. 

If necessary, cut your fish into even sized fillets. Remove the skin if you can and pull out any bones. Place the fish in a shallow dish and pour two thirds of the charmoula over the top.  Then leave to rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or up to two hours.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in their skins for 10 to 15 minutes until almost tender.  Drain and cool, then peel away the skins and cut in half lengthways.

Peel and finely slice the garlic.  Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan or saute pan. Fry the garlic over a medium heat until lightly browned. 

Add the sliced peppers, cover with a lid and cook until they begin to soften.

Now add the halved tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat until they start to soften.

Pour in the remaining third of the charmoula and stir well.  Add some freshly ground pepper.

(If you're serving this to friends and family, you can prepare everything up to now in advance)

Using a tagine, if you have one, or any casserole dish with a lid that can be placed over a heat source (e.g. a cast iron dish like Le Creuset) first spread the potatoes evenly over the bottom. 

Now put about two thirds of the pepper and tomato mixture over the potatoes.  Then, lay the fish fillets evenly on top of that and put the remaining pepper and tomato mixture over each piece of fish.  

  

Finally, scatter the black olives over the top, add the water and then drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. 

Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes (allow a bit longer if you're re-heating the vegetables from cold) until the fish is lightly cooked and flakes easily. 

This looks and smells wonderful when you bring it to the table.  Carefully lift out a piece of fish with a generous portion of potatoes and peppers onto each plate. I serve it in large pasta bowls to catch all the delicious sauce.  

Spiced Potato and Cauliflower

If there's one thing I'd like to achieve writing this blog, it's to introduce the idea that eating a mostly "plant" based diet is anything but boring!  Even though Eric and I eat fish, we don't eat it that often so most of our meals are likely to be based on vegetables in some form or other. The variety of vegetables available all year round means you can ring the changes and eat really well.

Potatoes and cauliflower are rarely at the top of most people's list of favourite vegetables but wait till you try them served this way!  The spices in this Indian dish transform the humble potato and cauliflower into something quite exotic.   There's more than enough for two people as a main course with rice and poppadoms. It also goes well with onion bhajis which I'll be posting later.

This recipe works best with a firm waxy potato that holds it's shape well so I use  the pink fir apple variety that I grow at home.  A Charlotte or Nicola potato will do just as well.

Ingredients

250g (8oz) small waxy potatoes
1 small onion
2.5 cm (1") piece of root ginger
5ml (1 tsp) cumin seeds
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) turmeric
Half a cauliflower
A small bunch of fresh coriander
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Prepare the potatoes.  If they're large, peel and cut in half, otherwise leave whole and unpeeled and parboil in salted water for 5 minutes. They will still be hard on the inside. Drain.

When cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and cut the potatoes into chunks.

Cut the cauliflower into small florets.  Store the leaves for another day but you can use the middle of the stem if cut into small pieces.

Put the cumin seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder.

Peel and finely chop the onion and peel and grate the ginger.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan.  I use a wide-based saute pan with a lid. Fry the onion and ginger until the onion is translucent but not brown.  Add the cumin and turmeric and cook gently for a couple of minutes stirring all the time to avoid burning.

Add the potatoes and cauliflower to the pan and pour in 100ml of boiling water. Stir well to coat the vegetables in the spice mixture. 

Season with salt and pepper, then cover with a lid and cook gently for about 15 minutes. 

Keep checking that the mixture doesn't dry out and add more water as necessary so that there is plenty of steam to cook the vegetables.  Don't overcook them though, they should keep their shape and stay firm. 

Stir in some chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately.