Salt Beef and Potato Pancakes

SERVES 2

TIME 50 minutes

FOR THE PANCAKES

2-3 maris piper potatoes (approx 300g total), peeled and halved

2 eggs

250ml buttermilk

150g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tsp grated parmesan cheese

60g cheddar cheese, grated

200g salt beef (from an artisan butcher or see book), finely diced

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

vegetable oil, for frying

FOR THE HERBED CREME FRAICHE

4 tbsp crème fraîche

2 tbsp chopped chives

grated zest of 1 lemon

TO SERVE

2 poached eggs

pickled cucumber

2 tbsp beetroot and dill purée (see Tip)

parmesan cheese, shaved

olive oil

• Place the potatoes in a pan of water and bring it to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a bowl and mashing roughly with a fork – don’t worry about a few lumps. You should have around 250g of mashed potato.

•  In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the buttermilk. Add this to the mashed potatoes and gently mix together. Sift in the flour and baking powder then mix again (take care not to beat it too furiously).

•  Add all the remaining pancake ingredients, except the vegetable oil, and mix until combined. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

•  Preheat the oven to 120C/ 100C fan/gas ½.

•  Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a low-medium heat and add enough oil to coat the base. When the oil is hot, add 3 tablespoons of the batter per pancake – fit as many as you can into the pan – and cook for 2 minutes until the underside is golden and small bubbles appear on the surface. Flip the pancakes over and cook until golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest. You should be able to make six pancakes.

•  Mix together the crème fraîche, chopped chives, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.

•  To serve, spread a couple of tablespoons of the crème fraîche on two serving plates then put three pancakes on top. Place a poached egg on each pancake stack, then add a small handful of the cucumber and a tablespoon of the beetroot and dill purée to each plate. Serve with the parmesan and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Tip For the purée, put 4 medium beetroots in a pan, add a pinch of salt and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 1-1 ¼ hours. Drain and set aside to cool then remove the skins and quarter. Place these in a food processor with 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Season and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in 1 heaped tbsp greek yogurt and ½ small bunch dill, finely chopped. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.