Comfort food par excellence.
Ingredients
- 700g new potatoes
- 200g oyster mushrooms
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 300g smoked back bacon, cut into thin strips
- Couple sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped from the branch
- 50g pine nuts
- About 100g washed rocket or baby spinach salad
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Method
- 1. Boil the potatoes until just tender. Allow them to cool and then cut them in half, lengthways. Set aside. Tear the oyster mushrooms into strips, also lengthways. It’s easier to do this with your hands than a knife. Set aside.
- 2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a wide-bottomed, non-stick frying pan and, when hot, add the bacon. When it is fizzing away nicely, lower the heat and cook until it is well done and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the oyster mushrooms to the same pan and fry them quite hard until they are browned and slightly crispy. It’s best to do this in batches. When the last batch is nearly done, add the rosemary sprigs and pine nuts. Remove them when slightly browned and set aside with everything else. Now heat the rest of the oil and fry the cut side of the potatoes until golden brown. Return the bacon, mushrooms, rosemary and pine nuts to the pan and warm through.
- 3. Toss all the warm ingredients with the rocket or spinach, extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I use very little of this, just to help the taste along, not dominate it) and season. Try this with roast chicken as an unbeatable side dish for Sunday lunch.
Chef's tip
Not every day of the British summer is balmy enough to make you yearn for salads or spicy dishes from the East (now there’s an understatement). Here’s a right royal bit of comfort food. The bacon’s smoky taste accentuates the sweetness of the Jersey Royals. Use the smallest ones you can find.