Crumbed scallops and blue potatoes.

First I went with silky mash, but these were equally good in a bun with coleslaw and tartare sauce. With some homemade blue crisps. Ohh. The smell of these crisps was out of this world, too tempting. I kept hovering over the bowl just to feel it again and again.

Last years blue mash photos.


Crumbed scallops

3 to 4 diver scallops per person, cut in half horizontally
1 organic orange
fresh ginger
sea salt
white pepper
crusty old bread
1 egg
flour

In a food processor, whizz the bread together with orange zest, grated ginger, sea salt and white pepper until tasty bread crumbs form.
Take three plates. Sift flour onto the first plate, drop the egg on the second, whisking it with a bit of orange juice to loosen, and pour the bread crumbs on the last one.
Take the scallops, dredge in flour, dip in the egg mixture and then coat all over with bread crumbs. Fry in batches until golden on both sides.


Silky mash

750g blue potatoes, skin on
about 120g butter
about 100ml single cream
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about half an hour. Drain and let steam on the stove for a minute or two. Peel while still hot, put some gloves on if necessary. Mash the potatoes, gradually add the cream and continue mashing. For a super smooth result, push the mash through a sieve. Mix in the butter, make sure it melts in gradually, not leaving any lumps. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Tartare sauce

200ml homemade mayonnaise
3 tbsp capers
4 to 6 cornichons
small red onion
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
lemon juice
salt

Chop all ingredients finely and mix into the mayonnaise. Taste and season accordingly.


Blue crisps

blue potatoes
groundnut oil
cold water
salt

Choose uniform potatoes, even sized crisps cook evenly.
Peel the potatoes and slice them very finely, less than a millimetre thick. Rinse under cold water and let stand in a bowl of cold salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Fry in batches in 160C degree oil until crisp. Too hot oil will result in too brown crisps or slightly burned taste.
Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt and other seasonings while still hot.

First time for us to grow blue potatoes. I was extremely excited about it right from the beginning, imagining all the things I'd do with them, oh the possibilities! These blue ones are funny little things though, in all sorts of quirky shapes like twisted monkeys they are.

First I opted for the mash. Prepared with a good chunk of butter, milk and some finely chopped caramelised onions. Caramelising onions in bacon fat adds an extra dimension. Never leave any chunks in the mash, it has to be as smooth as butter.
Grilled lamb chops, blue mash and slaw. Lovely.

Next up were crisps. I fried some in oil, the conventional way, and zapped some in the microwave with zero fat, the health-conscious way. I was naively hoping that the healthier crisps would be almost as good as the fatty ones, but the taste, it's just not the same. Sure, they do crisp up nicely, presuming you cut them finer than 1mm (for which you'll need a mandolin), and the taste is okay, but it is missing a certain flavour nuance and the mouth-feel is a bit on the dry side as well.
The best solution is, I think, to use an oven and brush potato slices with a bit of oil. I have tried and it works quite well without being overly fatty.

I still have some blue potatoes left, for a salad or maybe roast potatoes.. haven't decided yet.

Animals from the Luige livestock show. The young cow on the right didn't want to stop licking our hands.

Making crisps at home


Doesn't matter which method you choose, first you have to peel and slice the potatoes very finely on a mandolin. Wash the slices of extra starch and pat dry.

By far the easiest method is deep-frying. Heat oil in a saucepan, drop slices in the 180°C oil, let bubble until golden and crispy. Remove from the oil and drain. Season to taste.

Next is microwaving. Here it is good to have a layered tray or rack of some sort, because otherwise you can prepare only a small amount at a time, since you cannot crowd them, they will stick to each other. This can be very time-consuming.
Season the dry slices before zapping them. Lay in a single layer on a surface and heat on medium, in about 3 minute intervals (depending on your machine), because you don't want to burn them. When crisp, remove from the microwave and let cool.

The traditional oven method seems to be the most tiresome. Preheat the oven to 210°C - 220°C, line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Brush all potato slices with a bit of oil and season to taste. Lay oiled slices in a single layer on the baking parchment, cover with another sheet of baking parchment and top with another baking sheet, to weigh it all down. The thing is, oven cooked crisps tend to curl up and to avoid this, you need to weigh it down with something flat, preferably metal, as it is a heat conductor.
Depending on how good your oven is, you might need to flip the crisps around after 15 minutes or so.

This method is also tricky because you cannot see whether they are done or not.
If you don't mind them curling up like dried leaves, then there is no need to cover them.