Why mess with the classic trifecta of potatoes, onion and creamy cheesy sauce? Potato bake, you are beautiful just the way you are. BUT, if you felt like dressing up a bit – maybe on the weekend? – there’s nothing wrong with that.
I’m usually cautious with sun-dried tomatoes: such a strong flavour can be overwhelming if it’s in something like a delicate little salad. This potato bake, however, isn’t easily overpowered, and the tomatoes added a nice tang which took the edge off the rich sauce. The biltong was an experiment, but guess what? It works! The pieces that are in the sauce get juicier, and the sprinkles on the top get crispy. I could try to claim that the mushrooms are here to balance the biltong, but that would be a lie. I’m just very enthusiastic about mushrooms.
Biltong potato bake with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms
Ingredients
– 1kg potatoes, sliced
– A handful of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
– 100 grams of biltong, sliced
– 1 punnet button mushrooms
– 3 tablespoons butter
– 2 tablespoons of flour
– 250 ml milk, at room temperature
– two handfuls of grated cheese (optional)
– breadcrumbs
– 50 g biltong dust
Method
1. Put the potatoes on to par-boil. Depending on the size of your slices, this should take 10 – 20 minutes. This isn’t obligatory: you could always assemble the bake with raw potato slices, you’ll just have to keep it in the oven for over an hour.
2. Slice your mushrooms, heat about a tablespoonful of butter in a large pan, and add them only when the butter is hot. Stir them about on a high heat (it helps to have a non-stick pan here, but it’s not essential) until they’ve cooked down and look delicious, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, start with the white sauce: melt the leftover butter at a medium heat, then add the flour. Stir for a few minutes with a wooden spoon, until bubbling but not browned. Add a splash of milk and stir like crazy. When the milk is fully incorporated, add a little more and repeat. When you’ve added about half of the milk, switch to a balloon-whisk and carry on applying elbow grease. Lumps? Shame on you. Whisk harder. (Or, if that’s not working, you can always sieve them out and start again in a new pot.) When it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, and no floury taste remains, take it off the heat.
3. Drain the potatoes. Leave them to cool down in the colander, then layer in a dish.
4. Pour the white sauce over the potatoes, and mix in the biltong and sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle cheese over the top, then finish with breadcrumbs and biltong dust.
6. Bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until it’s browned and potatoes are tender.
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