potatoes » Thrifty Living

Bangers & mash with onion gravy

Oct 012009

Vegan MoFo logo

For Vegan MoFo (Vegan Month of Food) this year, I will be cooking my way around the world with interesting dishes from different regions.

Bangers & mash with onion gravy

Starting in my own country, today I’m featuring that classic British pub dish, bangers & mash with onion gravy.

Anyone following my blog previously knows that I’m a big fan of veggie sausages, and I’ve previously shared recipes for breakfast sausages, bratwursts, hot dogs & sundried tomato sausages.

I’ve been experimenting with a new ingredient for my sausages that I’ve used a couple of times now. I was inspired by Quorn, a brand of vegetarian meat substitute that has a huge range of different products. Quorn isn’t vegan, but the main ingredient in Quorn is mycoprotein, which is a type of factory fabricated fungus. Of course, I have no way of making this type of fungus in my kitchen, so instead I used a fungus which is available, i.e. the marvellous mushroom. I used mushrooms in place of the tofu or beans I usually use in my sausages.

The first time I made sausages with mushrooms, I used fresh shiitake mushrooms, which are ever so tasty, but freakin’ expensive. This time, I used half shiitakes and half ordinary white button mushrooms.

The sausages were a bit softer using shiitake/button mushrooms, than with just shiitakes. I’ll be experimenting further with using mushrooms in sausages, but for now I’ll post the recipe as I made it. The seasoning combo I used was deelish.

I served the sausages with Mr Thrifty’s special mash, along with onion gravy and peas. The recipe for onion gravy is here, the only modification I made was to use vegan margarine instead of butter. It was super scrummy.

To really get into the whole pub experience, the meal was made complete with beer (for Mr Thrifty) and homemade cider (for me).

Cheers!

Homemade vegan bangers

British		American
22g	ground almonds	3 rounded tablespoons
100g	raw stemless shiitake mushrooms	3-1/2 ounces
150g	raw white button mushrooms	5 ounces
40g	coconut oil	3 tablespoons
3/4	vegan chicken-style bouillon cube	3/4
	(enough for 1-1/2 cups water)
2 teaspoons	soy sauce	2 teaspoons
	water (see directions)
34g	finely chopped onion	1/4 cup
1 teaspoon	minced fresh garlic	1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon	nutritional yeast	1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon	dried sage leaf	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	freshly ground pepper	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	smoked salt	1/2 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	freshly grated nutmeg	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	mace	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	marjoram	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	thyme	1/8 teaspoon
150g	vital wheat gluten flour	1 cup + 2 tablespoons

1. If you’re starting with whole almonds, grind them in the blender first while it’s still clean and dry, then remove and set aside.

2. Thickly slice the mushrooms, then saute in a bit of the coconut oil until excess moisture from mushrooms has evaporated. Set aside.

3. Put the bouillon cube into a glass measuring cup and add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water; stir to dissolve the cube. Add soy sauce to measuring cup, then add enough water to equal 125ml (1/2 cup). Add this to the blender.

4. Add remaining ingredients to blender EXCEPT gluten. Blenderise until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend smooth, add a bit more water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture can be blended smooth. (I added three extra tablespoons of water.) Empty into a large mixing bowl.

5. Add gluten to wet mixture in bowl and mix well, until you have a uniform soft dough. If the dough is too soft to form into sausages, add more gluten, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is firm enough.

6. Divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage shape. Wrap each sausage in baking paper and then in aluminium foil. Lightly twist the ends together.

7. Bring water to boil in a pot that has a steamer insert. Arrange wrapped bangers in your steamer insert, with seam side down to reduce the likelihood of a foil blowout. (Packing the bangers tightly in the steamer also reduces this chance.) I arranged four on the bottom of the steamer insert, then another four at a 90 degree angle on top of them.

8. Steam for 40 minutes over gently simmering water. If you’ve arranged your bangers in two layers, switch their positions halfway through the cooking time (bottom ones on top and top ones on bottom). Turn heat off and let cool.

9. To cook, gently pan fry in a bit of olive oil until golden.

Can be frozen for future use: leave them wrapped and place in a freezer bag.

Makes eight bangers.

Mr Thrifty’s special mash

British		American
450g	potatoes	1 pound
1-1/2 tablespoons	vegan margarine	1-1/2 tablespoon
1-1/2 tablespoons	vegan mayonnaise	1-1/2 tablespoon
1 teaspoon	vegan bouillon powder (eg Marigold)	1 teaspoon

1. Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Bring a pot of water to the boil, then add potatoes and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender.

2. Drain potatoes, reserving a bit of the cooking water. Mash potatoes in the pot, then add margarine, mayonnaise and bouillon powder. If the mixture is a bit dry, add some of the reserved cooking water.

Makes two servings.

Veggie pepper steak with roasted potatoes

Feb 172009

Veggie pepper steak & roasted potatoes

On Saturday, we had a Valentine’s Day breakfast of pancakes with strawberry sauce. I used frozen home-grown strawberries to make the sauce and it was yummy, although it simmered a bit too long and the strawberries dissolved into a puree. Tasty, but not very pretty!

For our evening meal, I wanted to make veggie steak with roasted potatoes and gravy, plus some cooked veg and a salad. Then we ended up going shopping. To Ikea. Ah yes, the lure of the Swedish flat-pack furniture store. I restrain myself from too many Ikea trips, as I always find something there to buy. On Saturday, it was their solid walnut “Hol” storage table, which was on offer for half price. (Which justified buying two of them.)

Before I knew it, the afternoon was pretty much gone, and I knew I wouldn’t have time to make the “steak”. The recipe I had in mind was a slightly modified version of this recipe from Tami at vegan appetite, which turned out excellent last time I made it.

But alas, lack of time meant relying instead on a ready-made veggie steak. Grassington’s have come out with three new vegan “meat” products, one of which is pepper steak. We’d tried it before and liked it, so that was the cheating part of the meal.

To accompany, I made roasted potatoes, along with sauteed baby button mushrooms with garlic and steamed broccoli with garlic. Also gravy and salad.

It was most delicious!

Here for your enjoyment is my recipe for roasted potatoes, a very English way of serving the spectacular spud. The potatoes have a lovely crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. YUM! I don’t usually peel potatoes for this recipe, but you can if you like.

Crunchy roasted potatoes

British		American
450g	floury potatoes, cut into even-sized chunks	1 pound
1-1/2 tablespoons	olive oil	1-1/2 tablespoons
	salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 200C (400F). Place potatoes in a medium-sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain well and return to the pot, then shake pot to rough up the surface of the potatoes.

2. Heat oil in a roasting tin until very hot, then add the parboiled potatoes. Turn them so that they are evenly coated with the oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Roast potatoes for 30 minutes, rotating tin after 15 minutes. Then remove tin from oven and turn potatoes over. Roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are brown and crunchy on the outside.

Makes 2 servings.

Vegan breakfast patties & home fries

Feb 072009

Vegan breakfast patties

After being inspired by denny‘s morphing of my vegan meatball recipe into Miss Meatballs, as well as Happy Clucks Clucks “Chicken” Strips, I decided to transform said meatball recipe into vegan breakfast patties.

The process is pretty much the same as the meatballs, except that I sauteed the onions & garlic for extra flavour instead of just adding them in to the mix raw, and I didn’t bother with the final bake in the oven.

Breakfast patties are a Canadian/American thing, not known on this side of the pond. As a result, Mr Thrifty had never tried breakfast patties, meaty or veggie version. I don’t think I ever had the meat ones, and it’s been years since I had veggie ones, so I couldn’t say how closely these resemble either of those.

I can tell you that these are tasty little morsels which are seasoned just right, hold together nicely and are toothsome but not too chewy. Perfect with a side of home fries. I found the recipe for the fries at food for living. Unfortunately I didn’t have any multi-coloured potatoes, but my combination of new potatoes and oca worked well.

Vegan breakfast patties

British		American
TVP mixture
60g	textured vegetable protein (TVP)	3/4 cup
125ml	prepared vegan beef-style broth	1/2 cup
1 teaspoon	Marmite	1 teaspoon
3 drops	gravy browning (optional)	3 drops
25 grams	very finely chopped onion	1/4 cup
1	clove garlic, minced	1
Oil mixture
20g	coconut oil	1-1/2 tablespoons
1-1/2 tablespoons	vegetable oil	1-1/2 tablespoons
	(or use 3 tablespoons vegetable oil)
Liquid mixture
1/2	vegan beef-style bouillon cube	1/2
	(or equivalent amount for 1 cup of water)
1 tablespoon	ketchup	1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon	soy sauce	1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon	vegan Worcestershire sauce	1 teaspoon
3/4 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper	3/4 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	dried sage	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	dried marjoram	1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon	dried thyme	1/4 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	cayenne pepper	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	dried coriander	1/8 teaspoon
	water as needed (see directions)
Dry mixture
80g	vital wheat gluten flour	2/3 cup
30g	gram flour (besan, chickpea flour)	1/4 cup
2 tablespoons	dry breadcrumbs	2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon	nutritional yeast	1 tablespoon
To finish
	olive oil for frying

1. Make the TVP mixture ahead of time, as it needs to cool completely. Stir the prepared beef-style bouillon, Marmite and optional gravy browning together in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add TVP and stir well. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. While TVP mixture is cooling, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Take care not to burn it. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute or two. Stir the onion/garlic into the TVP mixture and set aside to cool completely. The mixture must be cold before adding the other ingredients.

3. Mix together the coconut oil and remaining vegetable oil until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.

4. For the liquid mixture, put beef-style bouillon cube in a glass measuring cup. Add a couple tablespoons of boiling water, and mix until bouillon cube is dissolved. Add ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and herbs & spices. Then add enough cold water to equal 165ml (2/3 cup). Set aside. Note that this must also be cold before adding to the other ingredients.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine wheat gluten, besan, breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast and stir well.

6. When TVP and liquid mixtures are cold, first add oil mixture to TVP and combine well. Then add the liquid mixture and stir again. Now add this to the gluten mixture and mix it until it is evenly combined.

7. Form into balls, then flatten balls to make small patties. I made 12 patties, each about 2 inches in diameter.

8. Prepare your steamer insert by lining it with baking paper so the patties don’t stick. Place patties in steamer insert with a gap between them. My steamer is not very big, and I did three patties at a time.

9. Bring an inch of water to boil in the bottom of your steamer, then turn heat down to maintain water at a simmer. Steam patties for 10 minutes, then carefully turn them over and steam for another 10 minutes. Remove them to a baking paper-lined tray to cool. Steam the rest of the patties the same way. Check the water level periodically to ensure the pot doesn’t boil dry, and add more boiling water if necessary.

10. Panfry steamed patties in a little olive oil, until lightly browned.

Makes 12 meatless breakfast patties.

Home fries

British		American
225g	new potatoes	1/2 pound
1/4 teaspoon	salt	1/4 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	paprika	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	onion granules	1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	garlic granules	1/8 teaspoon
1 small	shallot, diced	1 small

1. Cut potatoes into 1.2cm (1/2″) cubes. Put into a small pot, add water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain.

2. Whilst potatoes are cooking, mix together salt, paprika, pepper, onion granules and garlic granules.

3. Heat a bit of olive oil in a heavy skillet (I use cast iron). Saute potatoes until golden and crunchy.

4. Push potatoes to the side of the pan. Add a bit more oil and saute shallot for a few minutes, until softened. Mix it all together and sprinkle on the prepared spice mixture to taste (I didn’t use all of it.)

Makes 2 servings.

Full English (vegan) breakfast

Feb 012009

Full English breakfast, vegan style

When I moved to this side of the pond, I was introduced to the Full English breakfast, vegan style.

A full English breakfast is typically sausages, bacon, hash browns, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast, along with coffee (or tea) and fruit juice. Anyone partaking of this cholesterol extravaganza will usually be able to hear their smaller arteries slamming shut partway through the meal.

Vegan versions are fairly widely available, though they’re usually abbreviated to hash browns, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast. If you’re lucky, vegan sausages will be available, and if the gods are smiling down on you, vegan bacon will also be on the menu.

This morning, I decided to make my own version of the full English vegan breakfast. Homemade breakfast sausages, hash browns, tofu scramble, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast, along with coffee and fruit juice. I haven’t experimented with homemade bacon (yet), and couldn’t find any in the shops, so that wasn’t included.

The tofu scramble used the same recipe as the one I’d made last week (except I was out of lemons and therefore lemon juice, but I couldn’t say I noticed a difference). The breakfast sausages had been made the day before. I tried a new recipe for hash browns, and it was the most successful yet, though it does require precooking the potato the day before. The beans were organic ones from a jar, and the mushrooms and tomatoes were simply fried with a bit of vegan margarine and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Needless to say, it was delicious, and I’m happy to report that not only were no arteries closed during the meal, but my karma survived brilliantly. What more could one want on a cold February morning?

Seitan breakfast sausages

British		American
30g	ground almonds	5 tablespoons
250g	tofu	9 ounces
1 tablespoon	soy sauce	1 tablespoon
1	vegan chicken-style bouillon cube	1
	(enough for 2 cups water)
3 tablespoons	rapeseed (canola) oil	3 tablespoons
34g	finely chopped onion	1/4 cup
1 tablespoon	nutritional yeast	1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon	minced fresh garlic	1 teaspoon
1-1/2 teaspoons	dried sage leaf	1-1/2 teaspoons
1/2 teaspoon	dried marjoram	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	dried basil	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	dried oregano	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper	1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon	salt	1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon	dried thyme	1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon	fresh (or dried) rosemary	1/4 teaspoon
160g	vital wheat gluten flour	1 cup + 3 tablespoons

1. If you’re starting with whole almonds, grind them in the blender first while it’s still clean and dry, then remove and set aside.

2. Crumble the tofu into the blender. Put the bouillon cube into a glass measuring cup and add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water; stir to dissolve the cube. Add soy sauce to measuring cup, then add enough water so the mixture equals 100ml (6-1/2 tablespoons). Add this to the blender.

3. Add remaining ingredients to blender EXCEPT gluten. Blenderise until completely smooth. Empty into a large mixing bowl.

4. Add gluten and mix well, until you have a uniform soft dough.

5. Divide dough into 12 or 16 pieces, depending on how big you want your sausages. (I made 12 this time.) Roll each piece into a sausage shape. Wrap each sausage in parchment paper and then in either aluminium foil or cheesecloth. Lightly twist the ends together if using foil, or tie them with string if using cheesecloth.

6. Bring water to boil in a pot that has a steamer insert. Arrange wrapped sausages in your steamer insert. If using foil, arrange with seam side down as this reduces the likelihood of a foil blowout. Packing the sausages tightly in the steamer also reduces this chance. I arranged six sausages on the bottom of the steamer insert, then another six at a 90 degree angle on top of them.

7. Steam for 40 minutes over gently simmering water. If you’ve arranged your sausages in two layers, switch their positions halfway through the cooking time (bottom ones on top and top ones on bottom). Turn heat off and let cool.

8. To cook, gently pan fry until golden.

Can be frozen for future use (leave them wrapped and place in a plastic freezer bag).

Makes 12 to 16 sausages.

Homemade hash browns

Plan ahead, as the potato needs to be pre-cooked the day before.

British		American
170g	floury potato	6 ounce
1 tablespoon	minced fresh onion	1 tablespoon
1	small garlic clove, minced (optional)	1
to taste	salt and freshly ground pepper	to taste
	olive oil for frying

1. The day before, steam potato (unpeeled) for 20 minutes, until tender (some firmness in the center is okay). Cool, then refrigerate in a plastic bag overnight.

2. The next day, grate potato using a coarse grater, discarding any large pieces of skin. Put in a large bowl. Add minced onion, garlic (if using), plus salt and pepper to taste. You can also season with herbs.

3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Form potatoes into three patties and fry until golden brown, then carefully flip and fry the other side. Keep in a warm oven if not eating immediately.

Makes 3 patties, enough for 2 or 3 servings.

Creamy chickpea & potato soup with spinach

Jan 132009

Creamy chickpea & potato soup with spinach

Whilst flipping through a cookbook in the bath t’other day (yes, I read cookbooks like other people read fiction), I came across what sounded like a simple yet interesting soup recipe. Plus, I had all the ingredients on hand.

Chickpeas. Potatoes. Spinach. Cumin, coriander, cayenne. Also tahini and [vegan] cream. I wasn’t sure how the flavours were going to come together in the end, but I’m happy to report that the soup was very, very delicious. The original recipe calls for cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the soup, but instead I used a couple of tablespoons of red lentils for extra nutrition.

I used Stanley to cook the chickpeas, but a half a 400g/14oz tin (drained & rinsed) could be substituted. (Use the other half to make houmous, mmm.)

Be sure to wash the spinach well, as it is often quite muddy.

Sesame breadsticks are nice with this soup.

British		American
1 tablespoon	olive oil	1 tablespoon
65g	finely chopped onion	1 small
2	cloves garlic, minced	2
1 teaspoon	ground cumin	1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon	ground coriander	1 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	cayenne pepper, or to taste	1/8 teaspoon
600ml	vegetable stock	2-1/2 cups
3 tablespoons	red lentils	3 tablespoons
180g	potatoes, peeled and diced small	6 ounces
55g	dried chickpeas, cooked	generous 1/4 cup
	(or substitute tinned, drained & rinsed)
4 tablespoons	vegan cream	4 tablespoons
1 tablespoon	light tahini	1 tablespoon
80g	fresh spinach, shredded	3 ounces
	salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil over low heat and saute onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

3. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne, and cook another minute.

4. Add vegetable stock and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft.

5. Add potatoes and chickpeas and continue to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.

6. Add vegan cream and tahini, stirring until combined. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.

7. Add spinach and simmer for two minutes, until spinach is wilted.

Makes 2 servings.

Batata harra (Lebanese potato sandwiches)

Dec 042008

Batata harra

We first had batata harra at a hole-in-the-wall Lebanese takeaway in town. So what’s a batata harra, you may ask. And I can answer: spicy fried potatoes, served, like falafels, in pita bread with salad and tahini sauce. Mr Thrifty was the first to try one (being the potato-lover that he is) and declared it Really Tasty. In fact, he liked it more than the falafels we bought there. I thought it very good as well, though points off for nuking the cold pre-cooked potatoes before making the sandwiches, thus rendering all the scrunchy bits rather… unscrunchy.

So batata harra, along with falafels, became a popular choice for the odd time we decided to grab a quick, cheap lunch. Then I discovered how to make homemade falafels, which far surpassed the bought ones, and we didn’t go to the Lebanese takeaway after that.

But Mr Thrifty was still hankering after a batata harra. So I thought, how difficult could it be to recreate these delightful sandwiches? Easier than falafels, for sure, as the filling was a lot simpler and didn’t require firing up the deep fryer.

So a couple of days ago, I finally made batata harra. I fried up some potatoes with onion and peppers, made a garlicky yogurt-tahini sauce, and cut up some lettuce & tomatoes to go with it. Heated the pitas (store-bought, alas) and tucked into a lip-smacking-good meal. YUM!

I didn’t have any hot chilies to add, so the only heat came from a bit of cayenne that I added. Nor did I have any fresh coriander (cilantro). Even without those ingredients, the batata harra were much better than those from the takeaway. And much more thrifty!

Batata harra sandwiches

British		American
For the potatoes
450g	potatoes	1 pound
2 tablespoons	olive oil	2 tablespoons
1	small onion, diced	1
1	red or green pepper, peeled and diced	1
1	chili pepper (optional), finely chopped	1
1	large clove garlic, minced	1
1/4 teaspoon	dried coriander	1/4 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon	cayenne, or to taste	1/8 teaspoon
	salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons	finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) (optional)	2 tablespoons
For the salad
	thinly sliced romaine lettuce leaves
	chopped fresh tomatoes
For the sauce
4 tablespoons	tahini paste	4 tablespoons
4 tablespoons	plain soya yogurt	4 tablespoons
1 tablespoon	lemon juice	1 tablespoon
1	small clove garlic, minced	1
1/4 teaspoon	ground cumin	1/4 teaspoon
	salt to taste
To serve
4	large pita breads (or 6 small)	4

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1.2cm (1/2″) cubes. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside. (This will remove some of the starch from the potatoes, making them less likely to stick to the pan when cooking.)

2. Heat a large heavy skillet (I use cast iron) over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and cook onion until softened, about five minutes. Add peppers and chili (if using) and continue to cook until vegetables are soft (about an additional five to seven minutes.) Then add the garlic and cook for another two minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet.

3. Drain the potatoes and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet (still over low heat) and fry the potato cubes, turning now and then, until they are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

4. Drizzle two tablespoons of water around the edge of the skillet and immediately cover the potatoes with a lid. The lid does not have to fit the skillet, you can use a smaller lid and just rest it on the bottom of the skillet (which is what I do). Cook for five minutes, then remove lid and test potatoes to see if they’re cooked through. If not, cover them again with the lid and give it another couple of minutes (add a bit more water if the pan is dry).

5. When the potatoes are cooked through, add the vegetable mixture back into the skillet and mix thoroughly. Season with dried coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add the fresh coriander, if using, and heat through.

6. Meanwhile, cut up the lettuce and tomato for the salad. Mix together the sauce ingredients until smooth, adding water as needed to thin it to the consistency of a thickish salad dressing.

7. Warm pita breads and slit one side open. Put in a handful of lettuce and some tomatoes. Spoon a bit of the sauce on top. Then fill with the fried potatoes and top with more sauce.

Makes four large or six smaller sandwiches, enough for two people who love potatoes!

Behold The Hashbrown Butty

Nov 022008

The Hashbrown Butty

Unless you’re British, you probably don’t know what a “butty” is. Wiki says it’s another word for sandwich, but that’s incorrect, I’m afraid.

A butty is a sandwich (a filling between two slices of bread), but a sandwich is not usually a butty. “Butty” has a much narrower definition than sandwich does.

Mr Thrifty was extensively questioned on this, and after much consideration and deliberation, he issued the following statement:

There are two types of butty: The Chip Butty and The Bacon Butty. Anything else between two pieces of bread is merely a sandwich.

The Chip Butty is a sandwich made from two slices of untoasted bread (or an untoasted roll) plus fresh-cooked chips — and may I stress that I am talking about “proper” chips, not crisps or french fries. The bread may be spread with margarine or mayonnaise, and salt, vinegar and ketchup may be used. As simple as it may sound, I can assure you The Chip Butty is delicious.

This morning I made hashbrowns for breakfast, served on toast that had been spread with vegan mayo, and topped with ketchup. Was this a butty, I asked Mr Thrifty. He frowned. I pointed out the similarities between my hashbrown creation and The Chip Butty. Fried potatoes on bread. Ketchup. Mayo. Surely there could be some flexibility in the interpretation.

Mr Thrifty tasted. He got that gleam in his eye that he gets when he tries something he really really likes.

Yes, he declared, this tasty morsel of potatoey goodness was worthy of the “butty” moniker.

And thus The Hashbrown Butty was born.

Hashbrown butties

British		American
220g	potatoes	1/2 pound
1	small shallot, minced	1
1-1/2 tablespoons	olive oil	1-1/2 tablespoons
	salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2	slices of bread	2
	ketchup and vegan mayo

1. Peel potatoes and shred them. Spread on a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let stand five minutes.

2. Mince shallot.

3. When potatoes have sat for five minutes, take handfuls and squeeze them as hard as you can to extract as much moisture as possible. Mix with minced shallots.

4. Heat olive oil in a heavy frypan over medium heat. When hot, add potatoes and spread into a thin, even layer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fry until golden on one side then flip over to brown other side. You’ll probably have to cut the giant hashbrown in pieces to do this.

5. When hashbrown is done, toast bread. Spread with vegan mayo. Top with hashbrowns and ketchup.

Makes two servings.

Oven potato wedges

Oct 102008

veganmofo

Here is one of my favourite recipes for potatoes… it’s easy and healthy and, of course, delicious. Unlike the recipe for Potato wedges on the barbie that I posted a while back, this one doesn’t require blanching the potatoes beforehand.

Oven potato wedges

Credit goes to Jag of Route 79, for his Masala Potato Wedges recipe; mine is pretty much the same, just with different spices.

We used potatoes from our allotment, I think they might be “Cara” (a maincrop variety). Any all-purpose potato would be suitable.

British		American
450g	all-purpose potatoes	1 pound
2 tablespoons	olive oil	2 tablespoons
	salt, pepper and other spices to taste

1. Preheat oven to 190C (375F). Put a large baking tray in the oven to preheat as well.

2. Scrub potatoes, but don’t peel them. Cut lengthwise into wedges with “fat” end of wedges about 1.5cm (5/8″) thick.

3. In a bowl, toss potato wedges with olive oil until evenly coated. Then add salt, pepper and spices to taste, and toss again. I often use seasoned salt instead of plain salt.

4. Arrange wedges on preheated tray and place in the top part of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate tray. Cook 10 minutes more, then turn wedges over and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until browned and crispy.

Makes two servings.

Roasted Greek potatoes

Jul 292008

Greek potatoes

This is a most delicious way to have potatoes. I’m not sure how authentically Greek they are, but mmmm they sure are tasty.

British		American
450g	potatoes, peeled & cut into 4cm (1½ inch) chunks	1 pound
2½ tablespoons	olive oil	2½ tablespoons
½ teaspoon	dried oregano	½ teaspoon
¼ teaspoon	salt	¼ teaspoon
	freshly ground black pepper
2	garlic cloves, minced or crushed	2
½ cup	vegetable stock	½ cup
	juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon	chopped fresh oregano (optional)	1 tablespoon

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F).

2. Place potatoes in a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat with oil and arrange potatoes in a single layer.

3. Bake the potatoes for 10 minutes. Toss potatoes with garlic and bake an additional five minutes.

4. Add vegetable stock and cover tin with aluminium foil. Return to oven and cook for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until potatoes are tender and liquid is absorbed.

5. Sprinkle with fresh oregano (if using) and serve at once.

Makes two servings.

Potato wedges on the barbie with garlic dip

Jul 252008

potato wedges on the barbie This is a great and easy recipe for potato wedges done on the barbecue. Mr Thrifty even declared that he likes these better than chips, which is saying a lot because his relationship with potatoes is like Homer Simpson’s with doughnuts (or donuts, as our friends across the pond prefer).

(Mmmm, potatoes, mmmm…)

We used two enormous potatoes from the allotment, the early variety Rocket. I reckon pretty much any all-purpose type of potato would work.

British		American
450g	large all-purpose potatoes	1 pound
1 tablespoon	olive oil	1 tablespoon
	salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons	vegan mayonnaise	2 tablespoons
1 clove	garlic, minced or crushed	1 clove

1. Scrub potatoes, but don’t peel them. Cut lengthwise into wedges with “fat” end of wedges about 1.5cm (5/8″) thick.

2. Bring a pot of water to boil. (I use an electric kettle before transferring water to a pot; this is more energy-efficient. I think.) Put potatoes in boiling water, return water to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer for anywhere from one to 10 or so minutes (lid on). The first time I made these, I boiled them for 10 minutes, and that was about right. The second time, with very freshly dug potatoes, they were, err, mashed potatoes after 10 minutes. You want them to soften a bit, but they should NOT be soft all the way through.

3. Drain potatoes, then gently toss with olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on a plate to cool. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fire up the barbie. Cook potatoes for about 1/2 hour, turning several times, until lightly crusted on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. You may have to experiment with where you cook them on your barbie to achieve potato perfection. Mr Thrifty cooked them on the upper shelf of our barbie, where it’s hot but not too close to the source of heat.

5. For garlic dip, mix together vegan mayonnaise and garlic. Preferably let it sit for at least an hour. In the UK, vegan mayonnaises include Mayola or Plamil’s egg-free mayo; in America/Canada, try Vegenaise.

Makes two servings.

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