Serves: 4-6 - Time:
In the spirit of Second Hand September (a fashion drive to reuse/resell old clothes) I’ve developed this recipe as a way to use up odds and ends which were lurking in the back of the fridge. This is a great way to use up old bits of cheese which are too scruffy for the cheeseboard or are almost too ripe to eat plain. You could also cook a mix of main crop potatoes and sweet potatoes -or other root vegetables such as celeriac or parsnips – although cooking times might vary so keep testing for doneness with a skewer or end of a sharp knife in the centre of the dish. The point is almost anything can be sliced, seasoned and slathered in cream and cheese and it will be delicious. Fact.
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 130g cubed pancetta
- 600g sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- Butter for greasing
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- 50g Cheddar cheese or Lincolnshire Poacher, grated
- 75g Stilton, Stichelton (or similar blue cheese) crumbled
- 100g Camembert, cubed
- 500ml double cream
- 100ml whole milk
Method
- Heat the oven to fan 150°c, mark 3. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and cook the pancetta for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
- I don’t peel the sweet potatoes –just scrub them well –but if they are very pitted or knobbly you can peel them. Slice them finely on a mandoline or in a food processor. Butter an ovenproof dish and arrange a layer of sweet potatoes over the base. Dot over some garlic, rosemary and about a third of each cheese. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Continue to layer the potatoes and other ingredients ending up with a sprinkling of cheese.
- Mix the cream and milk and pour over the potatoes. Bake in the oven for about 1 ½ hours or until the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.
