Potato, avocado, quail’s eggs and bacon with crispy shallots

Serves 4 Starters and mains

Advertisement

Method

Place a wok on a medium heat, add 90ml of the oil and the shallots, reduce the heat and stir regularly until the shallots turn a golden colour without burning. Pour the shallots into a metal sieve placed over a bowl. Tip the shallots on to a plate lined with kitchen paper to crisp up.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and lower the heat before adding the eggs (this prevents the shells from cracking). Immediately increase the heat to a simmer and cook for 21⁄2 minutes. Drain the eggs, place in cold water, then crack and peel from the rounded end (they’re easier to peel while still slightly hot). Pop into a clean bowl of cold water and set aside.

To make the dressing, put the vinegar in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper andwhisk in the remaining oil.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan of salted boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes or until just tender. Drain, slice and place on a serving platter. While they are still hot, pour over the dressing.

Place a frying pan over a high heat, add the bacon and cook until golden and crisp. Remove from the frying pan and mix with the potatoes. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, peel, slice and arrange on top of the potatoes and bacon.

Cut the eggs in half and arrange over the top and season with black pepper. To serve, scatter with the crispy shallots and rocket leaves and flowers.