Spuds and chicory toasties

Simple, simple, comforting. That's the recipe in a 'spudshell'. The crunchy and wholesome toastie helps to ease off into a casual and relaxing evening. Especially, when the late October darkness is overtaking the northern hemisphere.

The familiar taste of potatoes, slightly bitter edge of chicory and grilled cheesy topping - all in all another great idea from Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall's "River Cottage Veg every day".

Crunchy and satisfying dinner bite

Ingredients for 4 toasties

- A good splash of rapeseed oil
- 4 small to medium unpeeled potatoes, cooked and sliced thickly
- 1 chicory, sliced sideways
- 3 tbs of crème fraîche
- 4 thick slices of sourdough bread, preferably homemade
- Goat cheese slices, enough to cover each bread slice
- Chopped parsley
- Sea salt and finely ground black pepper

Preparing the toasties

This recipe is ideal for using leftover spuds, but there is nothing stopping you from boiling a few potatoes especially to prepare the toasties. That's what we did.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat. When the oil is hot arrange the potatoe slices on the pan and fry until they start to turn golden. Move them around a little in the process and then turn on the other side. Add the chicory and stir gently until they start to wilt. Now the pan is ready for the crème. Stir it in and let it bubble until slightly thickened. Then add parsley, salt, and pepper, but do take into account how salty the cheese you're using is.

Preheat the grill and toast the bread slices lightly on both sides. Then spoon the spud mixture on each slice and top with the cheese. Grill until the cheese has melted and just begins to turn golden.

Put on a plate and enjoy hot and crunchy.

Jammy dodgers

It is wonderful how much homely loveliness can be baked from just a few simple ingredients. Made from the heart, these jammy dodgers delight with their crumbly texture and a strawberry inside. Preparing them is a joyful activity, with very little effort involved. Whilst the house is still filled with a blissful baking fragrance, the jammy dodgers make an ordinary tea table extraordinary!

The following recipe has been adapted from Pam Corbin's "The River Cottage Cake Handbook".

Jammy dodgers from the heart

Ingredients for roughly 10 to 14 biscuits

- 175 g of plain flour
- Pinch of finely ground sea salt
- 75 g of icing sugar (use unrefined if you have it in your store cupboard)
- 125 g of unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 150 g of good quality strawberry jam
- Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preparing the jammy dodgers

Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius.

Combine the flour, icing sugar and salt by sifting them together in a large bowl. Add the butter cubes and rub with your fingers until all the butter and flour are well incorporated. When ready, the mixture will look like fine breadcrumbs.

In a separate bowl wisk together the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Make a well in the flour mix and pour in the yolk. Now work the mixture together with your hands until you achieve a consistent, smooth dough.

Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for half an hour.

Divide the dough into two portions. Place one portion on a lighly floured greaseproof paper that is approximately half the size of your baking tray. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to 4mm thickness. To prevent the dough sticking, continue to gently flour the rolling pin and the surface of the dough. Repeat this with the remaining dough.

Transfer both sheets of greaseproof paper with the rolled out dough onto a single baking tray (one sheet next to the other). This way you will not need to lift the cut out shapes before baking and prevent deformation.

You will need two sizes of biscuit cutters; we used large and small heart shapes. Using the larger shape, cut out an even number of hearts across both dough sheets. Carefully remove the spare dough around the cut out shapes. Then, using the smaller shape cut out mini hearts in a centre of the larger shapes. However, do this only for half of the larger shapes. Add the cut out pieces to the remaining dough.

Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until firm but barely coloured.

Remove from the oven and put a spoonful of jam in the centre of the whole hearts. Spread the jam leaving 1.5 cm gap from the edge. Place the half with the cut out hearts on top and lightly sprinkle with demerara. Return to the oven for further 5 minutes to ensure the hot jam seals the top and bottom hearts.

Place on a cooling rack and repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Still cooling down and already irresistible