Warm Potato & Apple Salad with Black Pudding Crumbs

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and my husband bought me a copy of The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. It’s a wonderful book full of tantalising French recipes that are not too fussy. She has had a series on TV which I missed most of it, but the episodes I did see were great and featured things I definitely want to cook.

When I get a new cook book, I like to dive straight in and cook something as soon as possible so I can get a feel for the ease and practicality of the recipes. I was immediately drawn to the Salade Tiede de Pommes de Terre et Pommes avec des Miettes de Boudin Noir. It appealed to me as I am a huge fan of black pudding but in small doses. Too much makes me feel a bit gluttonous! This recipe is a salad after all, so not greasy or heavy. The raw crunchy apple keeps it light along with the mint, lifting the whole dish and making it fresh and vibrant.

I would place this dish perfectly within the category of ‘brunch’. It is utterly delicious and distinctly memorable. If you are someone who would normally shy away from black pudding, then I urge you to give this one a go as I am pretty sure you will like it. I certainly plan to make it when we have guests visiting despite black pudding being a divisive ingredient that I would usually hesitate to serve without checking preferences first.

The key here is that the black pudding is removed from its skin and then fried up to form a sort of crumb which is sprinkled over the top of the salad. So it’s not in big chunks or in its whole form, it remains just an ingredient within the salad rather than the main event. The contrast with the crunchy chunks of apple and also the apple puree is remarkable and a combo that cannot be denied. The mint adds a fresh, fragrant element, another ingredient which lifts this salad and makes it seem light.

I am entering this post into the Herbs on Saturday challenge which is run by Karen over on Lavender and Lovage. It’s a great monthly blog challenge where you can share your recipes that use herbs and discover other friendly bloggers! Hop over and check it out.

( I made a few amendments to the original recipe from The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo but on the whole, it is pretty much the same)

INGREDIENTS

1tsp olive oil

250g new potatoes

1 Granny Smith apple

1 tbsp water

1 tsp sugar

Handful of mint, chopped

200g black pudding

• Boil your new potatoes in salted water for 5-7 minutes to start the cooking process. Then drain and run under cold water to cool them. Then chop them into small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the potatoes and fry for 10 minutes until golden brown and turning crispy.

• Meanwhile, peel 3/4 of your apple and remove the core. Chop into small cubes, and microwave for 2 minutes with the water and sugar in a covered bowl until soft. (or cook in a pan for 5 minutes). Use the back of a fork to smash it up into a puree. Keep it covered so that it stays warm.
• Core the remaining apple  but leave the skin on and chop into small cubes. Chop the mint also.

• Once your potatoes are cooked and crispy, remove and keep warm. Use a knife to split the skin of your black pudding and squeeze out the meat into the pan you cooked the potatoes in. Break up the meat with your spatula and fry for about 8 minutes until cooked through and and browned and it resembles crumbs.
• On each plate, put a tablespoon of the apple puree in the center and spread into a circle. Sprinkle over a little mint, top with some potatoes, chopped apple, crumbed black sausage and finally a little more mint. Serve,