CARROTS
POTATO AND SILVERBEET WITH A CARROT, NUT AND OAT CRUST
This is an excellent dish to accompany grilled meat or fish, or a stand-alone meal for meat-free eaters. Impressive, too, if cooked in individual ramekins. Sliced zucchini can be added to the vegetable mix and grated parsnip would add a slightly nutty flavour to the crust.
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes | COOKING TIME: 1 hour | SERVES: 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup (45 g/1½ oz) finely diced short-cut bacon (optional)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
8 thyme sprigs
½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) chicken stock
3 silverbeet (Swiss chard) stalks
10 small potatoes, scrubbed
sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
3 large carrots, scraped and coarsely grated
½ cup (50 g/1¾ oz) chopped almonds or pecans
2 /3 cup (65 g/2¼ oz) traditional rolled oats
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (fan 160°C/315°F).
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a pan over medium–high heat. Add the bacon, if using, shallots and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the shallots are soft and golden. Add the stock, bring to the simmer, then remove from the heat.
Trim off the thick coarse ends of the silverbeet stalks and discard. Finely shred the leaves and tender part of the stalk and scatter over the base of a sturdy ovenproof baking dish – about 6 cups (1.5 litres/52 fl oz) capacity. Slice the potatoes very thinly crossways retaining the shape of the whole potato, and arrange in a single layer in the baking dish, on top of the silverbeet, so they fit in snugly.
Pour over the bacon mixture and season with salt and pepper. Put the grated carrots in a bowl with the nuts, oats, melted butter, mustard seeds and remaining oil. Toss well and spoon over the potatoes. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, or until the carrot crumble is crisp and browned.
TIP Don’t be tempted to substitute anything for the oats. Rolled oats will give a nice chewy texture, whereas steel-cut (unrolled) oats take longer than the other ingredients to cook and will impart a raw oat taste. Instant oats are pre-cooked and will break up when baked.