100 day food story day 4 - Wake up, It's a beautiful morning!

Oat crusted colcannon cakes with Hollandaise and Prender's crispy bacon. Almond crusted colcannon cakes with Smoked Salmon & Avocado Salsa. And today's Irish Times.

​Wake up its a beautiful morning.
No musings today, just good coffee, The Irish Times and my ‘Brunch Specials’

Oat crusted colcannon cakes, poached eggs with Hollandaise and Prender's crispy bacon.

Oat crusted colcannon cakes with Hollandaise and Prender's crispy bacon.
2 portions

Ingredients               
3 large rooster potatoes.               
4 leaves of cabbage.                          
25 grams of butter.                             
Salt & pepper.                                   
2 tablespoons of porridge.                   
25 grams of ground almonds.             
1 tablespoon of oil.

   Method.

1. Pop the potatoes skin and all in the microwave for about 10 minutes until cooked. Peel and mash with a fork.  Add butter and season.
2. Cut the centre heart from the cabbage. Roll up very tight and slice very thinly. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of water in a pan. When it's boiling add the cabbage and cook until all the water has evaporated. Toss in with the potatoes and mix well.
3. Shape into 4 cakes. Set up 2 plates, one with porridge & the other with the almonds.  Use the leftover egg white from the hollandaise (see next recipe).  Dip the cakes in the egg, then dip two in the oatmeal & the other two in the almonds.  Heat the oil in the pan & when hot pop cakes in.  Flip over when nicely browned and then pull off the hob.  Pop them onto a tray and into a preheated oven @190 for 10 minutes.                            

2 Oat crusted colcannon cakes & 2 Almond crusted colcannon cakes.

Hollandaise. Enough for 4 cakes.      
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks.                                                
300 grams butter.                                      
4 tablespoons cider vinegar.   

Method: 

1. Put the vinegar and pop in the microwave for 4 minutes.
2. Remove and add eggs.
   
3. Give it a good whisk and place over a bowl of simmering water.
   
4. Stir for a few minutes and then add the butter in cubes.
   
5. Keep whisking until it has thickened.
   
6. Lightly season and keep on a low heat.
   

Perfect poached eggs

Poaching Eggs
Pop a pot of water on to boil. If I am doing a few eggs I like to use a wok. Bring to the boil, add a splash of vinegar and start whisking the water in a circular movement. Crack the eggs in & turn the heat right down. Leave for 3 minutes & then lift out onto kitchen paper to drain.

Grill two pieces of bacon.
To Assemble:
Pop a pot of water on to boil. If I am doing a few eggs I like to use a wok. Bring to the boil, add a splash of vinegar and start whisking the water in a circular movement. Crack the eggs in & turn the heat right down. Leave for 3 minutes & then lift out onto kitchen paper to drain.

Almond crusted colcannon cakes with Smoked Salmon & Avocado Salsa.

Almond crusted colcannon cakes with Smoked Salmon & Avocado Salsa.
Salsa 
Into a bowl tip in 1 chopped avocado, 4 cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2, a bundle of chopped chives, juice of 1/4 lemon, a good glug of olive oil, a pinch of sugar, salt & pepper.
To assemble
Pop the 2 almond crusted colcannon cakes on a plate. Surround with the smoked salmon. Pop 2 poached eggs on top, drizzle with the Hollandaise and then carefully place the salsa around.

These 2 dishes will become firm favourites in you cookery repertoire. Not alone are they delicious, they are extremely nutritious. The oatmeal cake really ups your daily fibre content whilst the almond crusted cakes with the salsa is bursting with omega 3 & all the good fats which really plump up the skin, girls.