Bacon and leek potato bake

1/2 bag potatoes

4 leeks

2 cubes veg stock

2 garlic cloves

Pack of bacon

Double or single cream

Butter

This is one off the internet and I haven’t put my own pics in either as I seem to be missing my friggin phone wire.  I have picked a nice picture that resembles the one I make. 

It’s fairly cheap and healthy from what I remember, it was listed as a low calorie dish.  However it says to use 2 spoonfuls of cream and I do more like 10,  2 or 3 rashers and I do 7 or 8.  I never calorie count really, just eat it.

Saying that, I am not eating potatoes, pasta, rice or bread this week as I am starting to get old.  My parents did warn me I couldn’t eat like this forever.  *shock horror*  

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You may want to check the contents fit in the oven dish before boiling up.

Peel the spuds and cut into slices.

Chop the leek.

Put in a massive pan and fill with water, add the garlic and stock.  Partially boil for maybe 10 minutes.

Using a jug to siphon the water, save around 200ml of the stock and then drain.

Chop your bacon into little pieces.

Grease a large oven dish with butter.

Add the potato/leek gradually to a large oven dish.   Add the bacon bits and then another layer of potato, leek, so on and so on. 

Pour on the stock and cream, cover with tinfoil and put in the oven at 180 for 30 minutes.

Take the tinfoil off for the last ten minutes, so 40 in total.

Yum yum

   

Enjoy 

Cauliflower and potato soup with two cheeses (chicken optional)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients 

½ bag new potatoes

½ cauliflower

4 tsp chicken or veg stock 1300ml

3 garlic cloves

1 large onion

Butter

50 ml double cream  

Haloumi cheese

Sprinkle of cheddar cheese  

Parsley

Salt & Pepper

Cooked chicken (optional)

My recipe

This was inspired because I hate wasting food and I had cauliflower, potatoes and cream that needed using up.

I knew the basis of a tasty soup was stock and cream and from there would work with most ingredients.  It turned out delicious; a gorgeous, tasty, filling soup. I prefer meaty soups, so I added chicken.

Chop your cauli and spuds and put them in separate pans to boil.

Chop your garlic and onion.

Slice some small chunks or thin slices of haloumi.

Whilst the veg and spuds are cooking, strip all the meat off the chicken legs.  I found I didn’t need the breast so you can use that for another night. I bought a cooked chicken that day but no doubt it would improve if you cooked a chicken yourself and used fresh stock and freshly cooked meat.

Using a knob of butter, fry off the onions in a huge pan.

I filled the kettle which is about 1300 ml and poured on top of the onions then added the chicken/veg stock powder.

Add the cream and garlic.

Throw in the cooked chicken to get it warm and absorb nicely.  Add the wings if you wish.

Add salt and pepper.

After a few minutes, if you are happy with your cauli and spuds drain and add to the soup.  

Don’t forget, if it looks too much you can always warm it up for lunch.

When serving, add the haloumi.  Dip it in under the veg and spuds so you get some nice surprises.

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and decorate with parsley.

Enjoy