cakes are cooking, melt the butter in another non-stick frying pan, set over a medium heat, and once it is hot and bubbling, crack the duck eggs into the pan and cook them until the edges are crispy but the centres remain soft.
Dress the watercress with the extra-virgin olive oil and the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Place 1–2 potato cakes on each plate, top with a fried egg, drizzle with the leftover butter from the egg pan and serve with some watercress on the side.
Cream of Jerusalem artichoke soup with bacon
Serves 4
300g (11oz) Jerusalem artichokes
1 large shallot
1 small potato
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
500ml (18fl oz) Vegetable Stock (see page 218)
3 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
110ml (4fl oz) double cream
Salt and black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve
Jerusalem artichokes are the roots of a plant related to the sunflower. They come into season very early in spring, sometimes even earlier, at the tail end of winter. Despite having the same name, the globe artichoke comes from a completely different plant and isn’t in season until the summer. Jerusalem artichokes make excellent soup; I also love them in purées, salads or simply sautéed.
Peel the artichokes, shallot and potato and chop into 1cm (½in) cubes. Set a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Tip in the vegetables and fry gently for 2–3 minutes, without browning.
Add the garlic and pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 8–10 minutes or until the artichokes and potato are cooked through and soft.
Meanwhile, heat the grill to high and grill the bacon on both sides until crispy, then set aside. Once cool, cut into pieces.
Add the cream to the soup, bring back up to the boil and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Alternatively, puree the soup using a held-held blender.
Return the soup to the pan, reheat gently and add salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle with small pieces of the bacon. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve with fresh crusty bread.
Frisée, radish and orange salad
Serves 4
Vegetarian
3 oranges
½ head frisée lettuce
4 radishes, sliced
½ bunch of chives, in 2.5cm (1in) lengths
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
This refreshing salad makes a great accompaniment to fish, especially smoked salmon. The outer leaves of frisee lettuce can be bitter, so use the inner leaves only.
Zest two oranges, then peel and break the segments into a large bowl. Add the lettuce leaves, radish slices and chives.
To make the dressing, put the zest in another bowl with the juice of the third orange and the vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the salad, toss the leaves to coat evenly and serve immediately.
Bibb lettuce salad with radishes
Serves 4
Vegetarian
4 heads of Bibb lettuce
6 tbsp chopped mixed
fresh herbs
2 shallots 8 radishes
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp rapeseed oil
Salt and black pepper
A simple salad, ideal with grilled chicken or fish. If you can’t get Bibb lettuce, use Little Gem instead; and feel free to replace the rapeseed oil with a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Cut away the base section from each lettuce and place the leaves in a large bowl. Add all the herbs to the bowl and mix well together. Peel and thinly slice the shallots, slice the radishes and layer both with the salad leaves onto plates.
In a separate bowl, mix together the mustard and vinegar and slowly add the rapeseed or olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper, drizzle the dressing over the salad leaves and serve.
Montgomery cheese balls with rosemary
Serves 4
Vegetarian
450ml (16fl oz) milk
125g (4½oz) Montgomery’s Cheddar or any good-quality, mature Cheddar cheese
20g (¾oz) butter, plus extra for greasing
150g (5oz) plain flour
2 whole eggs, beaten
6 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
300g (11oz) dried breadcrumbs, such as Japanese panko
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Salt and black pepper
These are excellent as canapés, as a starter or, in larger quantities, as a vegetarian main course. Serve simply with salad, such as the Bibb Lettuce Salad with Radishes (see page 13).
Gently