Yorkshire mushrooms and herb Tattoo potatoes

I’ve said it before and I say it again, I like reading other peoples blogs, and sometimes I am inspired. I saw the recipe for Tattoo potatoes on Dish'n' That a little while ago and was really excited by the look of them. I have been waiting for a while for an excuse to make them, but the excuse never came. So I decided to try them out anyway, why do I need an excuse? I used many of the herbs growing at the allotment plot: rosemary, mint, celery, sage, lovage, parsley and coriander (from the fridge), and potatoes from the allotment.
Well I have to admit, I was more than bowled over with the final result. I served these beautiful morsels with Yorkshire mushrooms. Thank you Barbara for inspiring and introducing me to these herb tattoo potatoes. I will be making these often now, especially when I want to impress both family and friends, or even when I want to please myself.

Mushroom Yorkshires
Ingredients

Serves 2 - 4
4 portobello mushrooms (from Ireland)
75g plain flour
1 egg, beaten
75ml of milk
1 tablespoon of water
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven gas mark 6. Place mushroom stalk up with a drizzle of oil and bake for 10 minutes. Then take out and drain its juices and allow to cool.

In the meantime mix ingredients, make well in centre of flour beat in egg, milk, and a tablespoon of water and make smooth batter, season with salt and pepper.

In the Yorkshire pudding baking tray, pour a little bit of oil and heat in oven for five minutes until smoking, take out and carefully pour in batter, it will sizzle and add mushroom so that it is surrounded by the batter and return to the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until risen and golden.

Herb Tattooed Potatoes
Ingredients

Serves 2 - 4
8 - 12 Small new potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Sprigs of fresh herbs
Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 6.
Wash and dry the potatoes, leaving the skin on; cut in half lengthwise.
Pour the olive oil in a clear glass baking dish and add the salt and pepper; mix well.
Press your herb of choice on the cut side of each potato and position cut side down in the oil. Don't crowd them; leave enough room in between each half.
Bake until nicely browned, about 45 minutes.
Check the potatoes after 15 minutes and gently move them with a spatula so they do not stick. Also carefully spoon over some of the hot olive oil over the top skin side of the potato halves, this will help them to crisp them up.
To ensure that they are well cooked, carefully lift a potato or two with a spatula to see if they have browned and crisped around the edges. Give them a poke with a fork to make sure they are cooked all the way through.
Serve hot from the oven.

Welly woof woof

I’ve mentioned before that a couple of new families have been given plots not far from plot 45. One of the new plot holders is an architecture who has constructed a large wooden building within a matter of weeks, while his Mrs and children toil the land. It is already thriving with nasturtium flowers, courgettes and strawberries. The other new plot holder is an industrial worker, who is actually very creative and arty, I am in total awe of his skills. He made this dog out of recycled rubber wellies.
He said he saw it at an art gallery somewhere and thought to himself. ‘I can make that’ and so he did, now proudly displayed at the entrance of his plot. Isn’t it lovely and innovative? I want to make one too. I took a picture of the recycled Wellington dog, so we could create one if we ever got enough donated recycled wellies. But I thought, just in case any of you would like to own your very own welly woof woof, here it is.

He has also made these windmills, out of empty beer and soft drink cans. Really groovy stuff that just makes you smile. I am watching him very closely – to be inspired.

Cavolo Nero or Tuscan Kale Savoury Cake

Toscana di nero, Cavolo Nero, Tuscan Kale, Dinosaur kale or Black kale, call it what you want, but I have a load of it growing and am constantly looking for inspiration and ideas to cook with it.

A few days ago, I decided to experiment and make a kale and potato cake. I steamed both the kale and potato slices until they were cooked through. When they were cool enough to handle, I proceeded to layer a 7 inch cake tin with the wilted kale, and then filled the base with the thin potato slices. Drizzled with a bit of olive oil and seasoning, then folded over the overlapping kale.
The savoury cake was pretty astounding to look at, that was until you cut into it, and then it just fell apart. I would probably make this again, but in individual ramekins. You could if you wanted too, grate some pecorino or parmesan cheese between the potato layers, but this one was vegan: pure and simple.

What was interesting about eating this was the kale stalks, although edible, I found them a bit chewy. So after struggling with my knife to cut through the stalk, I decided eat them with my fingers, and in that very moment, whilst gazing at the leafy green still fully intact. I was suddenly reminded of my meat eating days, I felt like I was holding and eating a lamb cutlet off the bone, but I wasn’t, this was a leafy kale stalk. I don’t know what you think, but for me cavolo nero is a meaty and scrumptious leaf.