Caramelised onion and cream cheese hasselback potatoes

Name: Caramelised onion and cream cheese hasselback potatoes
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 2 baking potatoes; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 garlic bulb; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 1½ tsp smoked paprika; 2 tsp sherry vinegar; 250ml/9fl oz vegetable stock; 200g tin chopped tomatoes; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 onions, finely sliced; 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar; 4 tbsp white wine vinegar; 2 tbsp full-fat cream cheese (plain or herb); 1 tbsp butter, melted; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 small leeks, topped and tailed; 2 tbsp olive oil; 100ml/3½fl oz vegetable stock; salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare: less than 30 mins
Cook: 1 to 2 hours
Serve: Serves 2
Dietary: Egg-free Nut-free Pregnancy-friendly Vegetarian

The spicy patatas bravas sauce adds an interesting Spanish twist to this vegetarian dish.

By Poppy O'Toole

From Saturday Kitchen

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Ingredients

For the hasselback potatoes

2 baking potatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the patatas bravas sauce

1 garlic bulb
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
1½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp sherry vinegar
250ml/9fl oz vegetable stock
200g tin chopped tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the caramelised onion filling

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp full-fat cream cheese (plain or herb)
1 tbsp butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, crushed

For the scorched leeks

2 small leeks, topped and tailed
2 tbsp olive oil
100ml/3½fl oz vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

To make the hasselback potatoes, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Place two wooden spoons or chopsticks on a chopping board and place a potato between them. Use a sharp knife to make fine cuts across the potato, cutting almost all the way through the potato (the spoons will stop you cutting all the way through). Repeat with the other potato.
Place the potatoes on a baking tray and drizzle the oil all over the potatoes, getting right into the cuts. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, cut the top off the garlic bulb and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the bulb with salt, then wrap in kitchen foil and pop in the oven, alongside the potatoes, for around 45 minutes or until softened. Leave the garlic to cool slightly.
To make the caramelised onion filling, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onions for about 5–8 minutes, until the onions are softened and have a little golden-brown colour,.
Mix together the sugar, vinegar and 100ml/3½fl oz water and add to the pan. Cook for around 20–30 minutes over a medium–low heat. Once the onions are very soft and caramelised, remove from the heat. Leave the onions to cool.
Mix around half of the onions and the cheese together in a bowl. Reserve the remaining onions to serve.
Mix the melted butter and garlic in another small bowl.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and stuff the cheese and onion mixture between each cut. Drizzle some garlic butter over each cut and return to the oven for another 20 minutes until golden. Keep warm.
To continue making the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion until softened but not coloured.
Squeeze all of the garlic out of the bulb directly into the pan and stir it through the onions.
Add the tomato purée and paprika, then cook for 2–3 minutes until the tomato purée has darkened in colour slightly.
Deglaze the pan with the sherry vinegar and pour in the stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, season generously with salt and pepper and cook for 10–15 minutes until reduced and thick.
Blend the sauce with a hand blender to a smooth, rich sauce. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
To make the leeks, slice the leeks in half lengthwise and wash thoroughly to remove any dirt and grit from between the layers. Dry well with kitchen paper.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan until smoking hot. Place the leeks cut-side down in the pan and char until dark brown. Pour in the stock, then turn the heat down to medium–low and cover with a lid.
Cook for 5–7 minutes until tender, then season with salt and pepper.
Serve the hasselback potatoes with the sauce, reserved caramelised onions and the leeks.