Crispy Potato, Polenta & Cheese Pancake

A crispy potato and sharp Cheddar pancake with the pleasing crunch of polenta, topped with greens and lemony herbs. I make this using leftover cooked potatoes, but it’s good enough to cook them for. These quantities will make enough to serve four as a light meal and two as a hearty one.

ingredients

• 500g cooked potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 onion, thinly sliced

• extra virgin olive oil

• 100g sharp Cheddar or vegan Cheddar-style cheese, grated

• 3 tbsp polenta

• TO SERVE

• a bunch of greens (about 200g) e.g. spring greens, cavolo nero, kale

• a small bunch of parsley

• a small bunch of coriander

• 1 unwaxed lemon

method

If you need to cook your potatoes, peel then boil them in well salted water for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain and leave to steam dry.

Meanwhile, cook the onion in an approximately 22cm non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil over a medium heat until it is soft and sweet, but not brown. This should take about 8-10 minutes.

Put the potatoes into a bowl and use a spoon to mash them a little: you want some texture, but no large pieces. Add the cooked onion, cheese and polenta, and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat some olive oil over a high heat in the pan. Once it’s sizzling, press the potato mixture into the pan to form one big pancake (it should look like a Spanish tortilla). Turn down the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes until the pancake has a deep golden crust underneath.

To turn, use a tea towel to protect your hand, then cover the pan with a plate, tip the pan upside-down so that the pancake is on the plate cooked side up, then slide it back into the pan to cook the other side for another 10-15 minutes until golden. If it falls apart a bit, don’t worry - as it cooks it will come together.

Once cooked, flash-fry your greens in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Dress your herbs in olive oil and lemon juice with a good pinch of salt. Pile the greens and herbs onto slices of pancake.