The food of eastern Europe has been dismissed as full of cabbage and beetroot, but beetroot is brilliant combined with rich, honey flavours. To complete the eastern European flavour, serve this with stir-fried cabbage and chestnuts.
Ingredients
- 500g cooked beetroot (the non- pickled, vacuum-packed variety
- is fine)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 50g butter
- 125g honey
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Big handful baby spinach
- 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- Crème fraîche, to serve
For the pancakes
- 700g floury potatoes
- 125g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 400ml milk
- 4 large free-range eggs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Method
- 1. For the pancakes, cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of boiling water, until tender. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel and pass through a potato ricer (or sieve) into a bowl. Add the flour and baking powder and season well. Add the milk, a little at a time, stirring to combine, then whisk in the eggs to make a thick batter.
- 2. Heat some oil in a 20cm frying pan over a medium-high heat and spoon in 2 large, heaped spoonfuls of the batter. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture over the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the mixture bubbles up, then turn the pancake and cook for a further minute on the other side.
- 3. Remove from the pan and keep warm while cooking the rest of the pancakes, lightly greasing the pan with a little oil between each one.
- 4. For the filling, cut the beetroot into wedges. Heat the oil and butter in a pan until the butter begins to foam, then add the beetroot. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then toss the beetroot in the butter and oil.
- 5. Add the honey and stir to coat the beetroot. Add the vinegar, nutmeg and seasoning, and cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spinach and pine nuts. Spoon some filling on to each pancake, finish with a dollop of crème fraîche and fold over. Serve with a little bowl of crème fraîche
Nutritional info
Per serving (based on 6): 638kcals, 37.6g fat (13.4g saturated), 15.2g protein, 63.7g carbs, 26.5g sugar, 1g salt
Chef's tip
To complete the eastern European flavour, serve this with stir-fried cabbage and chestnuts.
To freeze: Layer the cooked pancakes between sheets of baking paper, wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before gently warming through.
Wine Recommendation
A refreshing, dry Spanish rosado gets our vote here.