麻豆社

John says: "I wanted to rustle up some well-deserved comfort food for our skating heroes. I decided to cook Cajun-spiced sweet potato fritters, topped with with a dollop of harissa soured cream and a poached egg, followed by Gethin & Helens' proteins of choice. Garnish as desired, but I recommend a good wedge of lemon, chopped parsley and some sliced red chillies for an extra fresh kick of flavour!"

Ingredients (Serves 2)

For the Sweet Potato Fritters:

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and grated – (around 350g total)
• 1 onion, grated
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For the Poached Eggs:

• 4 free range eggs
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

For the Soured Cream:

• 300g soured cream
• 2 tsp rose harissa (optional)

Method:

1. To make the fritters, grate the sweet potatoes and onion, and then pop them into a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the moisture over a bowl.
2. Tip the squeezed and grated ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add plain flour, a whisked egg, Cajun seasoning, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well and divide into four portions.
3. Heat some of the olive oil in a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Take one portion of the sweet potato mixture and shape it into a round shape, about ½ cm thick.
4. Pop into the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes each side until golden and crispy. Repeat with the rest and keep warm by wrapping in kitchen foil.
5. Meanwhile, add the white wine vinegar to a saucepan of boiling water.
6. Crack your egg one at a time into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, and then carefully place into a small ramekin.
7. Gently add the egg into the boiling water and poach for 3-4 minutes or until just set. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.
8. While the eggs cook, mix soured cream with the rose harissa and a pinch of salt.
9. To serve, pop two fritters onto each serving plate and add a dollop of the harissa soured cream.
10. Top with two poached eggs and serve immediately with your choice of bacon, smoked salmon, avocado... whatever you fancy!

Top tips:

• Squeezing the grated onion and sweet potatoes will ensure your fritters turn crisp and golden after pan-frying.
• You can find fine mesh strainers in most high-street supermarkets for a reasonable price; using one for poached eggs will ensure you get a neat and 'cheffy' end-product!
• Using a splash of white wine vinegar helps keep the egg in shape - but don't worry, you won't be able to taste any vinegar.
• If you don't fancy rose harissa, you could try adding freshly chopped dill or parsley to your soured cream.