Beer Battered Potato Scallops & Minted Mushy Peas

If you walked into a chip shop and ordered a scallop from the menu you may be surprised when you receive a battered potato slice. I'm not sure if it's a regional thing, but they still have them on the menu at the chippy near my parents house in Warwickshire, and I remember buying huge ones from the town chippy for just 10p after going clubbing.

I've recreated them here, and served them with minted mushy peas.

Beer Battered Potato Scallops & Minted Mushy Peas

2-3 large potatoes, peeled
150g plain flour
200ml beer
salt & pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

• Slice the potatoes lengthways, into 3/4cm (0.75cm) slices
• Whisk together the flour & beer & season
• Heat approx 3-4cm of oil in a heavy based saucepan
• Dip the potato slices into the batter and then into the hot oil
• Fry or a few minutes on each side until golden brown - if the oil is too hot they will cook on the outside and not on the inside, and if it's not hot enough the batter will be soggy & greasy
• Drain on kitchen paper

Mushy peas
300g frozen peas
125g half fat creme fraiche
2tbsp chopped fresh mint
salt & pepper

• Add the peas to a saucepan and cover with water
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes
• Drain the peas and mash with the creme fraiche & mint
• Season before serving

This post is an entry for #FluffyMarisPipers Linky Challenge sponsored by Maris Piper potatoes. Learn more at bit.ly/18rWnaB

Cumin Seed Crackers, Chutney and Carnivore Club

I had some pastry left over from the Chicken Korma pie that I made recently, and decided to roll it out thinly and bake it with cumin seeds & salt sprinkled on, and it was bloomin' lovely. This gave me an idea for cumin seed crackers, which turned out light and crispy just as I'd hoped.

Cumin Seed Crackers

150g wholemeal self raising flour

25g cold butter

1/2 tsp course sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling on top

1 tsp cumin seeds

approx 3-4 tbsp cold water

1 egg white

• Rub the butter into the flour
• Crush 1 tsp of cumin seeds in a pestle & mortar
• Add the salt and cumin to the flour
• Add the water a little at a time, until it all comes together
• Knead for a couple of minutes until it becomes more elastic
• Place into a bowl and cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for an hour
• Divide the dough into 3 pieces and roll out between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper as thinly as you can
• Cut discs with a pastry cutter
• Lay onto a baking tray and brush with the egg white
• Sprinkle a few seeds and salt over the discs
• Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 10 minutes until just turning brown
• Leave to cool

I served up a little platter with cheese, a batch of this year's home made chilli plum jam, grapes and some of the contents of my Carnivore Club box.

Carnivore club is a monthly subscription service that sends out a box of 4-6 handcrafted cured meats from top artisans; perfect for a charcuterie buff. The box I was sent had the following meats in :

Cornish Chorizo

Wild Venison Bresaola

Black olive salami

Pokers (snacking salami)

Cornish Coppa

I was provided with the Carnivore Box free of charge