Simple potato salad

Hope everyone is enjoying the hot, sunshine weather - this potato salad is a perfect side dish for a barbecue, or any other summery meal. I made this last night to go with sausages in buns, salad, kettle chips and scotch eggs - last minute thrown together BBQ style food! We had a few leftover potatoes from the night before, which is why I decided to make this. Usually I would make a potato salad with new potatoes (with the skins still on) and fresh chives, but we didn't have any fresh herbs in the house, and the potatoes we had cooked the night before were Sainsbury's taste the difference Vivaldi potatoes and were peeled. But this was still really yummy and the best part is that all the ingredients are ones which almost every household will already have!

Serves 2
- about 6 potatoes (depending on size), cut into chunks
- 1 heaped tbsp of mayonnaise (I used Hellman's light mayo)
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard (or any other mustard you prefer)
- few pinches of paprika (probably about 1/4 - 1/2 a tsp)
- fresh herbs, chopped such as chives OR dried herbs (I used thyme)

Simply mix the potatoes with all the other ingredients until combined. Season to taste.
You could also add bits of cooked bacon, or chunks of hard-boiled egg to make this more substantial and interesting!
Enjoy :)

Crunchy potato wedges

Everytime I make wedges I usually just slice the potato, add some oil and seasoning and bake in the oven. Don't get me wrong, they are delicious like that but I stepped it up a whole new yummy-level by adding breadcrumbs and fresh parsley. We had these delicious crunchy wedges with the beef burgers (see previous post for recipe). They were full of texture and flavour, perfect!

Serves 2
- 2-3 large baking potatoes, sliced into wedge shapes
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
- generous amount of paprika
- 1 wholemeal crust of bread, crumbled into crumbs
- handful of fresh parsley, chopped


1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Drizzle some of the oil into a deep baking tray and place in oven to heat up.
2. Remove the tray from the oven, and lay the wedges in the oil. Drizzle with the remaining oil. Season with salt & pepper, and sprinkle with paprika.
3. Coat the wedges in the breadcrumbs and parsley. Toss the tray until all combined.
4. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through, and the breadcrumbs are crisp!

Enjoy :)

Toad in the hole

As much as I love Italian food, nothing beats some of the classic British dishes like toad in the hole, shepherds pie, and beef wellington! This recipe worked really well for me, I had never made my own toad in the hole before so was worried the batter wouldn't rise or wouldn't be cooked in the middle, but it was perfect. I used Tesco light choices sausages because they're way less fat and taste exactly the same to me - if not better!? It would be best served with creamy mash, vegetables and onion gravy. I used meat gravy granules and added fried onion - it's not the same as freshly made but was still delicious.

(Warning: this is a really filling meal, so maybe not a good idea as part of a 3-course!)

Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 125g plain flour
- 150ml milk
- 150ml cold water
- salt & pepper
- 4 sausages
- 2 tbsp oil or butter

1. Fry the sausages until browned all over (don't prick the skins), and allow to cool
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the milk and water, mixing well - set aside
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl and season. Make a well in the centre and gradually whisk in the liquid mixture until you have a smooth batter with no lumps - rest for 15 mins
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees/gas mark 6. Put the oil/butter in a deep baking tin and place in the oven
5. When the fat is sizzling, remove from the oven and pour in the batter mixture
6. Add the sausages parallel to each other and place back in the oven - bake for 30 minutes or until the batter has puffed up and is golden brown and crispy
7. Serve with potatoes of your choice (buttery, parsley mash would be best!), vegetables and onion gravy.

Enjoy :)