24 Oct 2012

The Giant Savoury Scone for the Boys

We like them small, big, fat, skinny, sweet. savoury...the boys? Scones, of course!

Scones are other cheesecakes : I LOVE them, it's as simple as that. 
And in my Conquest to share the food I love, I've discovered this new favourite of mine.

So without further a do: 



Potato, cheese and rosemary loaf
aka
The Giant Savoury Scone for The Boys 

Of course, a scone with potatoes in it...you're not going to tell me that this doesn't stand a chance in the race to your Man's favourite ever pastry?
Actually, at my lastest dinner party, it was as successful amongst girls as boys!

This loaf is very much like a giant scone. It doesn't require knidding, it is soft, filling but lighter than a classic savoury cake, and moister than a bread.
The flavours of cheese and rosemary just makes it taste like hoidays (beach holidays? or Ski holidays? Whatever makes you happy my Dear!)

Delicious with a soup or with a salad, it makes a perfect starter or light main veggie course. 

Prescription : on a week night, coming back home from work. 10 min preparation, 25 cooking time (just enough time to watch an episode of Friends). Done.
Do we really need anything more than that?  

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
350g self-raising flour , plus more for dusting
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
85g cold butter , cut into cubes
150g pot natural full-fat yogurt
4 tbsp full-fat milk
250g cooked new potatoes , sliced
1 tsp chopped rosemary , plus extra small sprigs
50g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
85g Gruyère , half diced, half grated

Make the loaf:

1.Heat the oil in a medium pan, then gently fry the garlic for 10 mins until softened but not coloured. Set aside. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

2.Put the flour, salt and baking powder into a food processor, then whizz in the butter until it disappears. Tip into a large bowl, then make a well in the middle. Warm the yogurt and milk together in a microwave for 1 min or in a pan; it should be hot and may well go a bit lumpy-looking. Tip into the bowl and quickly work into the flour mix using a cutlery knife. As soon as it's all in, stop.

3.Turn the dough onto a floured surface, bring it together with floured hands, then press out to a large rectangle. Scatter over the potatoes, chopped rosemary, garlic, some of its oil and most of the cheese. Knead a few times, shape into a round, then lift onto a floured baking sheet.

4.Score the top, scatter with the rest of the cheese, poke in a few rosemary sprigs, then drizzle with the remaining oil. Bake for 25 mins until risen, golden and sizzling around the edges. Best eaten just warm.

Tip: you can make it without potatoes or replace them with pretty much any kind of cooked, cold and dry leftover vegetables.




What's on the Drinks Menu Alex?
Potato - cheese, an association that is always a winner. Rosemary is the key flavour here. 
I would recommend four options: 
  • a white Burgundy (Macon-Villages or Rully), 
  • a chardonnay from Australia, 
  • a cabernet-sauvignon from Bordeaux (Médoc and Haut-Medoc) or from Loire Valley (Saumur-Champigny), 
  • a merlot from Argentina 

1 comment:

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