When it comes to the crush

I know it’s not broad bean season, but frozen broad beans are right up there with frozen peas as an excellent frozen veg and so I use them all year round. This is a recipe very loosely inspired from Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules and the perfect side dish.The original dish she intended was a sort of broad bean and potato hash.My adaptation using all the original ingredients makes it a main course in its own right and is served in the form of potato and broad bean patties topped with crispy bacon bits and poached egg.This is the first time I have used a step by step approach in pictures.If you are making the recipe I hope you find it useful.

STEP 1
New potatoes are boiled then returned to the pan to dry

Step 2
Broad beans are podded and cooked in plenty of salted boiling water

STEP 3
The dried potatoes and broad beans are brought together in a mixing bowl

STEP 4
Lightly cooked spring onions are added and then the mixture i crushed until smoothish,
but still retaining a bit of texture.

STEP 5 
Shape the mixture into round patties with the help of pastry cutter if you wish.

Crushed potatoes with broad beans 

serves 4 as a side

350g baking potatoes, skins on

50g streaky bacon, about 4 rashers

4 spring onions, thinly sliced

150g frozen broad beans

50g crème fraîche

1 tbsp chopped coriander or dill

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Roast or boil the potatoes for 20 minutes in salty boiling water, until completely soft.Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan to dry out,The salt in the cooking water will have helped this process.

Meanwhile, heat a splash of vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat, add the bacon and fry until the fat starts to release. When it starts to crisp, add the spring onions and cook for a few minutes to soften.Remove the bacon and split each rasher into smaller pieces.Keep the bacon bits warm in the oven.

Cook the broad beans in a pan of salty boiling water for about 5 minutes, then drain.

Bring the dried potatoes to bowl and add the beans and spring onions and crush until smoothish, but still with a bit of texture. Stir in the crème fraîche and dill, then season generously with salt and black pepper.

Shape the mixture into round patties with the help of pastry cutter if you wish.

fry the patties in the remaining fat you cooked the bacon in. You might need to add little butter and oil here.

While the patties are cooking poach your eggs and then top each pattie with some bacon bits and a poached egg.

(Original recipe from Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.)