Keep the chill out in November’s kitchen!
There’s definitely a nip in the air so time for some warming winter dishes I think!
Before the frosts get too heavy we’ve dug up all our crop of potatoes and beetroot and they’re safely tucked away in the store ready for use over the winter.
I used a batch of the potatotes the other day for this potato dish. It is a bit of a treat – maybe not one to have too often but it’s just right after a cold day working in the garden!
Swiss Potato Bake
Serves 4, easily doubled or halved
1kg floury potatoes
Good knob of butter
1 large onion, chopped
200g smoked bacon, diced
125ml dry white wine
142ml pot double cream
350g raclette or gruyere cheese, grated
1 teaspoon paprika (the smoked variety works really well)
- Pop a large pan of water on to boil and peel the potatoes. Chop into bite sized pieces and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well, then put into a large bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the onion gently without browning until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add the bacon and continue to fry for another 5-7 minutes. Tip into the bowl with the potatoes and mix gently together.
- Pour in the wine and the cream and stir to coat everything. Now add ¾ of the cheese and ½ of the paprika and gently mix together.
- It’s important that this dish has plenty of room to spread out so use a large, shallow dish (30cmx 24cmx 4cm deep is ideal). Butter the dish first then spread the mixture out evenly and sprinkle with the leftover cheese.
- Cover with foil so that the top doesn’t brown too quickly and pop in the oven 200C/fan180/gas6 for 25 minutes. Take out of the oven and remove the foil, then sprinkle over the rest of the paprika. Put back in the oven for another 20 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
- This makes a really sociable supper dish as everyone can keep dipping into it. I like to serve it with a fresh green salad, pickled onions and some crusty bread.
