If a snuggle came in vegetable form it would be a Potato.
Mashed with knoblets of naughty, creamy butter. Fried to a crisp in duck fat, billowy inside and chalky outside. Wrapped in cream and nutmeg and layered in thin slices. They’re all edible snuggles.
It seems quite mean that ‘they’ don’t count potatoes as one of your five-a-day. Some punitive nutritional bean counter deemed them not fit to sit beside swedes and brussel sprouts in the vegetable league tables. Mean. They never feature on 5:2 fasting diet plans either. Again, mean. People on 5:2 could certainly do with a snuggle or two.
In defence of the plainer of the Janes of the veggie patch they are excellent snugglers (as mentioned) but they’re also a fabulous source of potassium and contain more Vitamin C than a large tomato. They have high levels of B6 and a jolly good smattering of iron too.
It seems odd to think the mainstay of so many European dishes didn’t always live in these soils but migrated from South America in the 16th century. there are in fact now over 80 different varieties of potatoes in the United Kingdom alone. A member of the nightshade family, her relatives are tomatoes and aubergines; also rather late arrivals to the European dinner table.
So to honour a vegetable that has fed and snuggled much of the world’s population across centuries and continents, here’s my recipe for a dill and ginger mini rosti to make the heart sing and the Vitamin C levels soar.
Top with a slice of smoked salmon or some Home cured Gravlax, see my recipe here, and a dollop of lemon creme fraiche.
The ginger is optional, but I find it adds a great zing. I also throw in some capers, but the dill is not negotiable.
Not traditional, but I find an egg helps bind things. Just squeeze all liquid from the mix before frying.
- 3 large 'floury' potatoes like Maris Pipers
- 1 onion, grated
- 2 Tbs chopped fresh dill
- 1 Tbs grated ginger
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- Handful of baby capers
- Generous amounts of salt and pepper
- Butter and olive oil for frying
- Peel and grate the potatoes and onion
- Season well as the salt helps draw the moisture out of the mix
- Squeeze handfuls of the mix to remove excess moisture
- Add remaining ingredients
- Form into small discs
- Fry in a mix of butter and oil until crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
- Top with thin slices of beetroot and horseradish cream or gravlax and lemon creme fraiche
- If you find they cook too quickly on the outside and are not completely cooked inside, pop them in the oven on a slow heat for 5-10 minutes.