Spicy potatoes with avocado crème
– Serves 8 to 10 as a starter or tapas
– Preparation time: 15 minutes
– Cooking time: 50 minutes
- Ingredients:
– For the sauce
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) avocado or olive oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 x 410 g can chopped tomatoes
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) tomato purée
• 10 ml (2 tsp) smoked paprika
• 1 chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 125 ml (½ cup) red wine or sherry vinegar
• large pinch of brown sugar
• sea salt, to taste
• chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
– For the potatoes
• 900 g potatoes, cut into small cubes
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) avocado or olive oil
• 5 ml (1 tsp) smoked paprika
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) mixed dried herbs
– For the avocado
• 2 avocados, halved and stoned
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) avocado or olive oil
• 125 ml (½ cup) water
- Method:
1. For the potatoes: heat oven to 180°C. Pat the potatoes with kitchen paper to dry, then place into a roasting tin and toss with the oil and seasoning. Roast until crisp and golden, about 45 to 50 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and translucent for about five minutes. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, smoked paprika, chilli, vinegar, brown sugar and a grinding of sea salt. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally then lower to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. This can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
3. Make the avocado crème about 10 minutes before the end of the potatoes’ cooking time. Whizz one avocado with the oil and the water until a smooth pourable consistency, adding a touch more water as necessary.
4. Transfer the potatoes to serving dishes and pour over the tomato sauce. Spoon over the extra diced avocado and garnish with chopped fresh parsley with the avocado crème on the side.
Ham and avocado croquettes
– Makes 14
– Preparation time: 15 minutes
– Chilling time: 4 hours – preferably overnight
– Cooking time: 50 minutes
- Ingredients:
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) avocado or olive oil
• ½ small onion, very finely chopped
• 30 g butter
• 50 g (100 ml) cake flour
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk
• 140 g sliced smoked ham, diced (or smoked chicken)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) wholegrain mustard
• 1 small avocado
– For the coating
• 2 large eggs
• 50 g (100 ml) cake flour
• 140 g (about 3 cups) fine dried breadcrumbs
• sunflower oil, for deep frying
– To serve
• guacamole
• tomato chilli jam
- Method:
1. To make the croquettes, heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion until lightly coloured, about three minutes. Add the butter to the onions, and once melted stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Gradually add the milk while stirring and cook over a low heat until thick and glossy, about five minutes. Stir in the ham and mustard, season to taste.
2. Transfer into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool, then chill, preferably overnight or for at least four hours. The mixture needs to be very stiff to form the croquette’s shape. Before shaping the croquettes, peel and stone the avocado, and cut into small cubes. Gently mix avocado cubes into the béchamel ham mixture.
3. To shape the croquettes, take a heaped teaspoon of the mixture and, with wet hands, roll into 14 small oval shapes and set aside on a tray. Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl, put the flour on a plate and half the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Roll each of the croquettes lightly in flour, then in egg before coating in breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Use the remaining breadcrumbs to top up the bowl halfway through the coating process. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. To fry the croquettes, fill a large saucepan one-third full of sunflower oil and heat to 180 °C or heat the oil in an electric deep-fat fryer. Do not overheat and do not leave hot oil unattended. Using a metal slotted spoon, lower six croquettes into the oil and cook until golden brown, about 90 seconds. Transfer to a baking tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and continue cooking the remaining croquettes. Serve with guacamole and chilli jam for dipping.
