TO DRINK: Try a wooded chenin blanc that has sweet, luscious stewed apple characters
Apple and sweet potato rösti with smoked trout and poached quail eggs
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 5ml (1 tsp) raw honey
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh parsley and thyme, chopped, to taste
- 1 medium hen’s egg or 3 fresh quail eggs, beaten
- olive oil or ghee, for frying
- 150 – 200g smoked trout
- POACHED QUAIL EGGS
- 30ml (2 tbsp) white vinegar
- 8 quail eggs
Instructions
Peel and parboil the sweet potatoes. Allow them to cool and then grate.
Peel and grate the apple. Combine the apple with the sweet potato and add the honey.
Season with salt, pepper and fresh herbs and add the beaten egg to bind the mixture. Mix well.
Drizzle olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently. Shape the potato mixture into small patties and place in the frying pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides then drain briefly on paper towel.
To poach the quail eggs, fill a medium saucepan with water to a depth of approximately 4cm. Add white vinegar and heat the water to a bare simmer.
Break the eggs into the simmering water, 2 or 4 at a time, and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. If you find it hard to break the shells, carefully cut the shell with a small serrated knife before you break them into the water.
Use a draining spoon and paper towel underneath to lift the eggs from the water and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Continue to cook the remaining eggs in the same way, and leave them in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use them.
If you prefer to serve them warm, quickly dunk them in hot water for 10 seconds. Be careful not to overcook them as you want a soft yolk.
To serve, place one or two sweet potato rösti in the middle of your plate, top with pieces of smoked trout and garnish with 2 poached quail eggs.
