Sweet Potato and Bacon Risotto

Sweet potatoes are super autumnal, wintery, comforting, delicious... There is something about them that makes the perfect meal when it's chilly outside. No wonder they are used so much around the Christmas holidays. You can probably find thousands of recipes out there to put them into and every single one of them is amazing.

Veggie Lover Shepherd's Pie

I've always been a fan of Shepherd's Pie... But for some reason I've never made it. Probably only because it's available on every supermarket shelf and every pub's menu. So, since it's been one of those super gloomy and rainy days, I decided to make something warm and comforting. And as I felt like hanging out in the kitchen and be creative, I changed up the recipe a little bit and turned this into the perfect vegetarian meal. I replaced the meat with lentils and it was a success. So here it goes...

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 100g dry lentils*, boiled in water for 45min, drained and rinsed
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 peppers, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
- 2 large potatoes, peeled, roughly chopped and boiled till tender
- 2tbs of butter
- 250ml milk
- 1tbs plain flour
- a splash of Worcestershire Sauce
- 400ml vegetable broth
- 2tbs vegetable oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 200 C degrees.
- In a skillet add some oil and over a medium high heat sauté the carrots, peppers and garlic for about 10min.
- Sprinkle the flour, constantly stirring, and add the lentils along with the broth. Season well and add a splash of Worcestershire Sauce.
- Bring this mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a medium, let it simmer for about 15min, then pour it in a casserole dish.
- Melt the butter and milk together. Mash the boiled potatoes, add the melted butter and milk, season and give it a stir.
- Add the mashed potatoes on top of the veggie mixture, spreading it evenly. Bake for 15-20min or until the top is golden brown and enjoy!

* If you want to make this with meat, just substitute the lentils with minced beef/lamb, cook it till tender together with the veggies and keep following the recipe.

Lemon and Thyme Roast Potatoes

Not sure whether I've made it clear that roast potatoes are pretty addictive, but to me... YES, they are!! :-)
I've tried a few different flavours so far, but this was the first time I thought of adding some lemon to my roasties. So now it's definitely a new go-to recipe.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- 5tbs olive oil
- 4tbs water
- 1tsp dried thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- a pinch of sugar
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat the oven to 200 C degrees. Mix all the ingredients (except the potatoes) in a bowl.
- Place the potatoes on a non-stick baking dish and add the rest of the ingredients. Give them a good toss so everything is coated.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 50-60min or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. Baking times will vary depending on how big the potato chunks are. Make sure you toss them every 15min, so they get evenly roasted. Enjoy!

Potato and Onion Rosti

I love potatoes! Roasted potatoes are probably my favourite... But since I wanted to switch it up a little bit, I made this for dinner tonight and it's probably one of the best comfort meals out there... Especially on a rainy and gloomy day. I served it with crispy sausages and egg, but you can serve it with anything your heart desires. So here it goes:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 4 large potatoes, peeled
- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 6tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Cut the potatoes in half, place them in a pot of boiling water and boil them for 5min. Drain and let them cool.
- In a bowl grate the potatoes and season them generously with salt and pepper. Mix them well.
- Place a skillet over a medium high heat, pour in some olive oil, add the onion and sauté until soft. Then add the potatoes and using a fish slice flatten and let them cook. Flip every 3-4min until they have a crispy skin on the outside.
- Cut it into pieces, serve with your favourite side dish and enjoy!

Roasted Potato Salad

This is a great recipe for those who love a nice plate of potato salad, but don't care much for the heavy mayo dressing.
If you have a small herb garden at home like I do, this is a perfect recipe to use some fresh herbs. I happened to have rosemary and marjoram on hand, but you can use any herbs you like :) Enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 can of sweet corn, drained
- about 20 pitted olives, sliced
- 1tbs fresh marjoram
- 1tbs fresh rosemary
- 3tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 200 C degrees.
- Add the herbs, 2tbs oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend until it's all well blended.
- Place the potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and microwave them for 10min. Put a knife through them, if it goes in and out smoothly, the potatoes are cooked. If not, let them cook for a few minutes longer.
- Drizzle about a tbs of olive oil on a baking sheet, add the potatoes in, give them a stir so they get coated with olive oil and roast them for about 20min or until golden brown and crispy.
- In a salad bowl place the corn and olives. Drizzle the herb vinaigrette on top, and give it a stir.
- Add the warm potatoes, give it a gentle stir and enjoy!

Gnocchi

If you have potatoes that went a little soft, gnocchi is the perfect recipe for them :)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 3-4 medium sized potatoes
- 1 cup flour
- salt

Process:

- Peel and cut the potatoes. Boil them in salted water until soft. Drain them and let them cool a little.
- Put some flour and salt on your surface, and start kneading until you get your dough soft and not sticky.
- Let them dry for about an hour.
- When ready to cook, place them in boiling water and cook them until they float to the surface.
- Serve with the sauce of your choice and enjoy! I served mine with my arugula pesto.