summer love

author:
mae

Remember last year's school lunch's summer love, Hasselback potatoes with avocado hummus served with a side of veg sticks and corn on the cob!

Well I thought to jog your memory incase you are short of inspiration in this heat of what to make for lunch.



Ingredients:


Hasselbacks:
Potatoes washed and drained x4 medium/big
(or as needed, can be made with any size potatoes, just adjust cooking time accordingly)
salt about 1 tblspn 
oil/melted butter/ghee about 5-6tblspn

Hummus:
chickpeas x1 400g tin
avocado x1/2
lemon or lime juice x 1tblspn ( or as per taste)
salt about 3/4 tspn
olive oil x 3tblspns

Sides:
corn on the cob x 4
cucumber x 1 washed and cut into sticks
carrot x3 peeled washed and cut into sticks
celery x 3 sticks washed and cut into sticks
Olives (optional)



Method:

-Whizz up ingredients for hummus in a food processor/ blender etc to a smooth paste and remove into serving bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

-Prep the veg sticks

-Boil corn on the cobb in a heavy bottom pot/ or steam until soft. (if placing in boiling water season water with some salt, it takes corn about 8-10 mins to cook) -do this step 10-15 mins prior to serving.

-To make hasselback potatoes use a sharp chef knife, (one which has a wide blade that tapers out to a point at the top) 
-Place a potato on a chopping board and the end of the knife (part closest to handle on the potato) with sharp edge on the potato, place tip of the knife on the board so that it is can be used as a "pivot point". The tip of the knife should not loose contact with the board. With this positioning you should be able to move the knife up and down through the potato with relative ease. 
-Place your other hand, on the potato so that you are gripping it firmly, but such that your fingertips are tucked in and the flat wide of the knife is pressing against the middle knuckles of your fingers. This ensures you do not cut yourself! Make sure your thumb is tucked behind your fingers!!

-Now start from the middle of the potato and make one cut straight down, but stop before you get to the bottom. Do not cut it all the way through leave about 5-6 mm. Move your knife back up and slide it down a few mm, by pushing with your knuckles. 
Make a second cut, again stopping 5-6mm before you reach the bottom, slide knife back up again and then down a few mm ready for the third cut.
-Repeat above cuts till you get to the end.
-Turn the potato around and continue making cuts on the other half in the same way. You should end up with a "fan" like potato.
-Repeat this process for all the potatoes.
-Once all the potatoes are cut coat them with a mix of oil/melted butter and salt, making sure to get the oil/melted butter drip into all the cuts.
-Place the potatoes on a baking tray pre-lined with greaseproof paper.
-Bake at 220 degrees Celsius gas mark 7, for 1 hour or until soft and crispy. 


-Remember when starting out take your time and concentrate on not cutting all the way through.
-Once you have got some practice you should be able to cut from one side to the other in one go and not have to start from the middle.


Top Tip:
If the potato is quite wobbly cut a few mm off the base to make it flat and sit comfortably on the chopping board.

Some people prefer to place a chop stick behind the potato to ensure they to do cut all the way through. 

Hope you enjoy this delicious summer feast!


Did you know:
If you do not use the full avocado in one time you can store it in an air tight container with a piece of cut onion, but do not use then onion afterwards! Raw cut onions should not be consumed if left over night, they absorb bad bacteria, (which is why they are used as a deterrent from flu)