Warm Potato Salad

This recipe is another we've made for years...it's a different take on potato salad.  We serve it year round but it was first made as a barbecue dish.

The ingredients required are -
For the dressing
1 Tablespoon (15ml) grainy mustard
75ml Red wine vinegar
75ml Olive oil
For the salad
3 spring onions, sliced
Potatoes - boiled or steamed (we used about 5 medium sized, skin on and quartered)
One pack (about 90g) Pancetta or cubed bacon, fried

This serves 3 people, although the dressing can be stored in a fridge and will be too much for a small quantity of potatoes - how long it lasts will depend on how large a salad you make!

Place dressing ingredients in a jar, attach lid securely, and shake well.  The mustard will act as an emulsifier which allows the vinegar and oil to combine.

The spring onions were sliced whilst the bacon bits were fried until crispy.

Having steamed the potato pieces, skin on, they were placed in a bowl and the bacon bits and spring onions were added.  Next, whilst the potatoes and bacon were still warm, some of the dressing was poured over (the amount of dressing made will be enough for 2 or 3 salads - but, as mentioned earlier, this depends on the quantity of potatoes used) and combined.  Aim to coat the potato mix in the dressing - less is more to start with, add more if you need to.

We love serving this warm salad with barbecued or griddled meat.

Pancetta and Cheese Muffins

We spotted this recipe in the M&S Allergy Free cookbook that was a Christmas gift (sadly the same one's no longer listed on their website.)  It includes polenta and is a savoury muffin which I had hoped Sous Chef J would like as a breakfast/brunch item. 


Having decided to use half the ingredients listed in the recipe in this trial bake, we gathered together:-

½ tablespoon Olive Oil
100g pancetta, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
87g self raising flour (Dove's Farm gluten free)
27g polenta
38g grated cheddar cheese
80ml milk (we used home made yogurt)
1 egg (we used a large one)
30g melted butter

Whilst preparing the onions, the butter was melted.

The dry ingredients were placed in a mixing bowl - about a third of the grated cheese was reserved for later.

Having heated the olive oil in a frying pan, the pancetta was browned and then the onions were added.  Once the onions were softened, not browned, the pan was removed from the heat to cool slightly.

Once we had added the melted butter to the dried ingredients in the mixing bowl, the cooled pancetta and onion was added as well. 

Using a wooden spoon, the ingredients were mixed until well combined.

Dessertspoon dollops of the mix were divided between 6 muffin cases.  It is a firm mix and was quite a stiff consistency.






To finish off the muffins, they were topped with the reserved grated cheese. 

The muffins were baked in a pre-heated fan oven (180C) for about 12-15 minutes (this will need checking depending on the mix consistency.)  They were cooled in the muffin tray for 10 minutes.

Delicious warm and still tasty the next day - we  warmed them through prior to serving.

The muffins were a hit although Sous Chef J definitely preferred them warm... and with oodles of tomato ketchup.

These muffins freeze well.  The ingredients we used made 6 muffins.