3744. NEW POTATOES with SPRING ONIONS and BACON

serves 6

18-24 Cornish or Jersey new potatoes

2-3 bay leaves

25 grams butter

bunch of spring onions, chopped

4 slices smoked streaky bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Scrub new potatoes well and rinse in cold water. Cook in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes with bay leaves until tender. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Melt butter in a small pan, add a bunch of spring onions, chopped and cook gently for 1-2 minutes to soften. Grill the smoked streaky bacon until crisp and golden, drain on kitchen paper, then break into small pieces.

Drain the potatoes and toss with the spring onions, olive oil, some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the potatoes in a warmed serving dish and top with the bacon pieces. Drizzle with more olive oil if needed.

bacon recipe source: Good Food magazine (BBC), April 2004

1677. BACON-WRAPPED SEA TROUT with SAMPHIRE and JERSEY ROYALS

serves 3-4


1 whole sea trout, 2-2.3kg,
 scaled and gutted
sea salt and freshly ground
 black pepper
2 slices of lemon
few sprigs each of thyme 
and rosemary
10-12 thin streaky bacon
 rashers
olive oil, to drizzle

For the Jersey Royals
700 grams Jersey Royal potatoes,
 scrubbed and large ones halved or quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra 
to drizzle
2 large shallots, peeled and
 finely chopped
150 grams samphire (optional)
squeeze of lemon juice
handful of flat-leaf parsley,
 chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/
Gas 6. Wash and pat the trout dry with kitchen paper, then lightly score both sides on the diagonal. Rub a little salt and pepper all over the fish, including inside the gut cavity. Open out the cavity and stuff it with the lemon slices and herb sprigs.

Arrange the bacon rashers 
in a neat row on a chopping board with their sides slightly overlapping. Place the stuffed trout in the middle and wrap 
 the bacon around it. Carefully transfer the fish to a lightly oiled baking tray. Drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in the oven 
for 25-30 minutes, until the fish 
is cooked through. To check 
that it’s done, insert a small 
knife into the thickest part and press it lightly to one side – the flesh should come away easily from the bone.

While the fish is in the oven, cook the potatoes. Put them into a pan of salted water and 
boil for 8-10 minutes until just tender when pierced with the 
tip of a knife. Drain well and
set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the shallots 
and a little seasoning. Sweat 
them over a medium heat for 
4-5 minutes until they become translucent. Add the samphire and a squeeze of lemon juice. 
Cook for another couple 
of minutes before adding the potatoes. Season to taste – although you probably won’t 
need to add extra salt due to 
the naturally salty samphire. 
Take the pan off the heat and 
toss in the chopped parsley.

Pile the potato and samphire mixture into a large, warmed bowl and serve alongside the baked sea trout.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Gordon Ramsay | The Times Online, May 23, 2009

1610. JERSEY ROYALS GRATIN with BACON and WATERCRESS

serves four


250 grams back bacon, roughly chopped
250ml half fat crème fraîche
150ml vegetable stock
3 cloves garlic, crushed
750 grams Jersey Royals new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
100 grams bag watercress, roughly chopped
50 grams Gruyère, grated

Place the bacon in a large, non-stick frying pan and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned.

Add the crème fraîche to the pan, then stir in the stock and add the garlic. Bring to the boil. Add the potatoes, bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to reduce the liquid slightly. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Remove from the heat and stir in the watercress. Pour into a warmed 1.5-litre ovenproof dish (or use the frying pan if the handle is heatproof) and top with the cheese. Place under a preheated hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Serve with more watercress, some cucumber strips dressed with a little balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice, and some warmed bread to mop up the sauce.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Waitrose, Online Grocery Shopping, Waitrose Limited, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA, UK