Roast Potatoes With Duck Fat And Rosemary

Often the simplest and most unadorned dishes are the tastiest and roast potatoes with duck fat is a very good example of that.

J 'demanded' some snacks before the start of our dvd marathon on a cold Sunday afternoon. Having just had yum cha hours before I was quite happy to eat nothing until dinner but in order to stop him from running to the nearest shop and return with some msg laden crisps, I had to do something quick.

I spotted the tub of duck fat (from this recipe) in the fridge and knew what to do right away and the result was a bowl of the naughtiest, tastiest, crispiest golden roast potatoes ever. 

serves 2 as a snack or as a side dish to meat or fish

oven preheated at 220 C (conventional)

you'll need;

3 large potatoes, cut into chunks

5 cloves of garlic, lightly bashed with the blade of a knife

a sprig of rosemary, removed leaves from the stalk

2 to 3 tbs of duck fat*

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the ingredients while the oven is heating up.

Place all ingredients in a oven tray and mix well, season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast in the hot oven until golden and crispy, shaking from time to time for even roasting.

Serve as a snack or as a side to meat or fish.

Polenta Crumbed Potato And Tuna Patties

Looking for something economical, tasty and nutritious for your midweek dinner? Well I think I might just have the answer for you!

Contrary to popular belief potato doesn't make us fat but the lack of exercise, potato chips and mash laden with fats are the main culprits. In fact the slow energy releasing starch in potato makes us full and satisfied without resorting to overeating, another reason for the thickening midsections. Together with everyone's pantry favourite - canned tuna and a few other easy to get ingredients, a wholesome meal can be prepared in less than an hour.

For those who are not big fans of deep fried food, you can easily bake these patties in the oven. To do that simply place the patties onto a non stick oven tray, lightly spray with canola oil and bake in a hot oven (200 C) until golden (~25 to 30 minutes)

For something a little more fancy please check out my salmon fish cakes with salsa or if you prefer something vegetarian how about my panko crumbed sweet potato and red lentil patties instead?

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
makes 12
you will need;
6 potatoes, boiled till tender, peeled and mashed
1 onion, chopped, sauteed with a little oil until soften
1 can of tuna in spring water, drained well
half a bunch of parsley, finely chopped (~1/2 cup)
1 tbs of capers, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of polenta
oil for frying
relish of your choice to serve

Cook the potatoes until tender, when they are cool enough to handle peel and set aside.

Mash potatoes in a large bowl then add in the rest of the ingredients except for the polenta and oil.

Mix everything well and check for seasonings.

Form little patties with wet hands then lightly press the patties down onto the bowl polenta. You may crumb them with normal or Japanese breadcrumbs instead but I really love that light crunchy crust from the polenta. Place the crumbed patties in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up before frying.

Fry patties in batches until golden brown and drain well on kitchen towels.

Serve tuna patties with a simple salad and some relish on the side.

Bangers And Mash From The Tummies' Kitchen

Oh I love bangers and mash and why weren't we served this when we were little?  I have been talking about my childhood dishes since day one and I think it is time to share some of the other tummy's favourite childhood fares as well.

It is easy to pick up top quality sausages with so many wonderful butchers near us and the good news is most supermarkets stocked a huge variety of good quality sausages these days. Make your own gravy if you must but I am quite happy with the packet gravy on the market, it just adds that little naughtiness to an already quite sinful meal.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 4 as a one dish meal
you'll need;
olive oil
16 good quality sausages of your choice
2 cups of frozen peas
a knob of butter
salt and pepper to taste
beetroot relish to serve

for the onion sauce;
1 large onion, halved then sliced
1 packet of onion gravy, prepared according to the packaging

for the mash;
8 potatoes, boiled until tender with plenty of salted water and peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbs of olive oil
4 tbs of light sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in a pan with a little olive oil until soft and lightly caramelized.

Prepare the onion gravy according to the packaging then mix in to the cooked onion.

For the mash - Return cooked potatoes to the pot and mash it with a potato masher, add in the olive oil and butter and season well with salt and pepper.

Cook sausages in batches and drain well.

Serve sausages with some mash, buttered peas and some onion gravy over. Oh don't forget the relish too.