If you’re entertaining for Easter this weekend, or just want to treat yourself, we have some easy recipes including perfect roast potatoes from Stevie McLaughlin at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Good Friday monkfish tail from the Fish Shop in Ballater and a sweet cocktail from Arran whisky.
Head chef of the Two Michelin Star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Stevie McLaughlin has shared his recipe for the perfect roast potatoes - ideal for a Sunday roast.
Serves: 4
Preparation: 30-40 mins
Cooking: 50 mins
Ingredients
Method
Pre-heat oven to 200C.
Cover a baking tray with a thin layer of vegetable oil or light olive oil and put into the oven to heat the oil and tray.
Select Rooster potatoes that are all similar sized, peel them and then cut them into even halves.
Put the halved potatoes into a suitable-sized pan and cover them with cold water (no need to add salt).
Put the pan onto a medium-high heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook the potatoes until tender (20-25mins).
Carefully tip the potatoes into a colander and allow a few minutes for the steam to cool down.
Gently toss the potatoes in the colander to ruffle the edges a little, then very carefully place the potatoes one by one into the hot oil. The potatoes will sizzle gently.
Roast the potatoes in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour approx. for our take on the perfect roastie, turning the potatoes 2 or 3 times throughout. Be guided by the colour as to when they are ready they should be beautifully and evenly golden.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer to a warmed serving dish.
Sprinkle the roast Roosters with good flaky sea salt and serve.
This soup (from chef and owner Roy Brett from Ondine Oyster & Grill in Edinburgh) is a classic, super simple to make, quick and easy yet very satisfying. The richness of the runny yolk balanced by the beautifully smooth and fresh tasting soup is a
real winner.
Ingredients
Ingredients for crispy egg
Method:
To prepare the egg simply boil in water for 5 minutes then refresh in ice, carefully peel then set aside.
Place the hens egg ingredients into three different bowls; beaten egg, breadcrumbs and plain flour
Simply season the flour and proceed to roll the soft boiled egg into the flour, followed by the egg mix to coat and finally roll in the breadcrumbs.
Dredge the eggs through each in turn. Set aside until ready to use.
Fry the hen’s eggs at 160°c for 3 minutes, season then set aside.
In a medium pan, heat up the vegetable oil and add the leeks, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook on a low heat until softened but not coloured.
Add the mint, peas, broad beans and the hot vegetable stock, simmer for 2 minutes.
Take the soup off the heat, strain off a few ladles of liquid and blend into a fine puree
sprinkle a few peas & broad beans on the base of each bowl.
Dived the silky smooth soup into four bowls
Cut the Hens Egg in half then place on top of the peas
*To keep the vibrant colour of the soup*
Place two bowls one on top of the other, one with ice on the base, so you can chill the soup
down, retaining the vibrant colour whilst stirring to bring the temperature down
This classic comes from Hazel restaurant in Glasgow.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Method
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook 4 eggs for 6 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, organise an ice bath. Once the 6 minutes is up remove the eggs from the boiling water and cool in the ice water bath. This will take approx 15 minutes.
Peel the eggs and set aside on a paper towel to absorb any remaining moisture.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the pork sausage meat with the black pudding and add the chopped chives. Measure out and shape approximate 70gr balls from the sausage meat.
Wet your hands in cold water and press the sausage meat down so it’s flat.
Roll the eggs in flour and shake off the excess, then wrap the meat around the egg. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Switch on the deep fat fryer to 180C and fan oven to 180C.
Whisk the remaining eggs.
Once the egg is firmed up, roll in the remaining flour, followed by the egg then in the bread crumb.
Repeat the egg and breadcrumb process twice.
Deep fry for 2 minutes or until golden then bake in the hot oven for 7 minutes.
Serve with a dressed and seasoned watercress salad and Arran mustard mayonnaise.
With Good Friday being a day when many across the country honour the tradition of a fish feast, husband-and-wife team of the Fish Shop in Ballater - Executive Chef Marcus and General Manager Jasmine - share their top tips for recipes and preparing simple fish and seafood dishes that even novices and those intimidated by cooking fish and shellfish can master.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Monkfish
1.2kg monkfish tail left on the bone skinned and tied (like a tied leg of lamb)
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 lemon
50g unsalted butter
Salt
Potato gratin
1.2kg potato peeled and finely sliced
4 anchovy fillets
2 onions thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
50g butter
150ml milk
150ml cream
Salt
50 g cheddar
Method
For the potato gratin - sweat the onion and garlic in the butter until very soft (no colour) with a pinch of salt, next add the anchovies and mix well, the anchovies should almost dissolve and melt into the onions.
Add the milk and cream and bring to the boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should be slightly salty as to season the potatoes.
In a casserole dish layer the raw, sliced potatoes with the warm onion cream mix. Once all the potatoes are used, pour the remaining mix over the top and sprinkle the cheddar. Bake for 1 hour at 180 degrees or until a knife passes through the whole gratin with no resistance.
For the monkfish, take the fish out the fridge at least 30 mins prior to cooking.
Place a large roasting tray on a medium high heat on top of the stove top add a splash of oil and the butter once the butter is melted and foaming, season the monkfish tail with salt and add to the roasting tray and lightly colour all around.
Once coloured place into a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven squeeze over the juice from the lemon and leave the monkfish to rest for 5 minutes.
This is an easy plant-based recipe for Easter from David Bell, Regional Executive Chef, Levy Scotland, part of Compass Scotland.
Serves 4
Ingredients for the pesto
Potato gnocchi
Method
To make the gnocchi, bake the potatoes in an oven at around 180 degrees centigrade for about an hour or until soft in the middle.
When the potatoes are baked and soft in the middle, take out and scoop the potato out of the skins, put in a bowl with salt and pepper, mash down until smooth and adjust the seasoning to taste, wait until the potatoes are completely cool then slowly add the flour to form a dough.
Take small portions out about 20g each and roll into balls and put on a surface with a touch of flour then slightly indent each ball with a fork, rolling it slightly backwards as you go.
Cover and store in the fridge until use. Meanwhile cut your crispy potato skins up into small bite size chunks and use to garnish the finished gnocchi dish.
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the spinach and watercress for 30 secs, drain and transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water for 5 mins. Drain again and squeeze out all the excess water in a kitchen towel.
Put the drained spinach, watercress, garlic, seeds, oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and zest, in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, then season.
When you’re ready to eat, pan fry the gnocchi in a tablespoon of vegan butter for a few minutes until golden brown, add the plant-based cream and bring to the boil, chuck in the pesto, bring to a simmer until incorporated into the cream, adjust the seasoning and serve with a sprinkling of the crispy potato skin pieces.
Head chef Grant Gordon from French restaurant La P’tite Folie in Edinburgh’s West End has shared this recipe for a twist on the Italian classic.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Method
Freeze toblerone to make it easier to grate with a cheese grater.
Grate the toblerone and keep in the fridge.
Place in mixing machine, cream, sugar, amaretto, honey, mascarpone cheese, start on a
low speed until mixed together.
Then turn up the speed till mixture is semi whipped, to the ripple stage. Make sure you don’t over whip. If you do Add a little more cream and mix.
Add most of the toblerone to the cream mixture. Leave a little for decoration.
Place the cream mixture into a piping bag. And place it in the fridge.
Cool down the coffee, place a couple of sponge fingers at a time in the coffee mix.
Layer the cream mixture in glasses with the sponge fingers any way you wish.
Decorate the top of dessert with leftover toblerone icing sugar, mint.
This recipe comes from Jack at Jack ‘O' Bryan’s in Dunfermline.
Serves 8-12 – a large cheesecake for a family celebration/party
Prep time 15 mins
Cooking time 40-45 mins
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the fan oven to 215C
Oil or butter a deep 23cm loose bottom or springform cake tin.
Cut a parchment circle sheet that is bigger than the tin enough that it will go up the sides.
Push the parchment into the tin, make sure the corners are pushed in and make sure the paper has an overhang if you cut the parchment too big just crunch it over the sides.
Press the creases up the sides, but don’t worry about lining it perfectly as the creases give the sides texture.
Add soft cheese / Philadelphia and sugar into a large bowl or a stand mixer. Beat together for 2 minutes, until the sugar and soft cheese has creamed together. ( For this I use the paddle on the mixer )
Turn the mixer off and tip in the flour, double cream, vanilla essence, eggs and salt to the bowl and mix again for 2 minutes on a medium high speed until you have a smooth consistency ( be careful not to over whip as the longer you mix the thicker the mixture will get ).
Once combined take the bowl off the mixer and let it sit for a minute you will notice all the bubbles/foam settle on the top ( I take a spoon and just scrape the top and take out so when you pour into the tin it’s a smooth creamy mixture with no air bubbles ) once you have done this pour the mixture into the lined tin. ( The mix should have a runny texture a little thicker than a crepe batter )
Give the tin a sharp bang on the worktop to remove any air bubbles, then bake for 40-45 mins.
The extra 5 minutes is to get that little extra colour on top depending on what oven you have or using.
Once cooked, the cheesecake should be caramelised almost dark brown on the top and puffed up like a soufflé and very jiggly.
It will still have a wobble when you remove the cheesecake from the oven that is perfectly fine.
Leave it to cool completely in the tin, the cheesecake will sink as it cools, which is normal.
Chill for at least 2 hrs before cutting and you can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days if you have any left of course.
Macerated Strawberries
Ingredients
Method
Cut up all the Strawberries to your desired shape and size ( I do a small dice so they macerate consistently ) add the icing sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice ( you can add a little zest ) and mix with a spoon and leave to rest for 15 minutes in the fridge before serving.
Sweet Basil Mascarpone cream
Ingredients
Method
Start with rolling up 5-6 basil leaves and chop them up small, in a bowl add mascarpone and sugar and cream together till smooth then add chopped basil and fold through, set in the fridge for an hour before serving. ( a quick and easy take on a flavoured clotted cream consistency )
Ingredients
Method
Mix and stir over ice in a rock glass.
Garnish with mini eggs.
For more chocolate cocktails ideal for Easter, check these out.
