Swede & Horseradish Cakes and Minted Purple Potato Cakes

In my latest Sainsbury's order I received, amongst other goodies, some purple potatoes and some jarred horseradish (made by English Provender Company, I think Biona also make a vegan horseradish sauce). So I decided to put these to use. I served the swede and potato cakes with a mixture of garlic, mushrooms, butterbeans and spinach, thrown together in a pan and sauteed.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

200g purple potatoes, cubed (you could use ordinary potato, but it won't look as pretty)

10g fresh mint leaves, chopped

200g swede, cubed

1 tbsp horseradish

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

Boil the swede until tender. In a separate pan boil the purple potatoes with the mint. Drain and mash the potato, when it is cool enough to handle, form into two patties. Drain and mash the swede with the horseradish, wait for it to cool, before forming into two patties. Heat the oil in a frying pan fry the cakes on one side for 5 minutes, flip over and fry for a further five minutes.

Leek and Potato Strudel

This is based on a Hairy Bikers recipe. I adapted it to be vegan and lower fat (it's still not very low fat, just lower than the original).

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 leek, finely sliced
1 small onion, chopped
750g potato, cubed
6 tbsp soya milk
2 tbsp chopped chives
White pepper, to taste
8 leaves filo pastry (I used Jus Roll chilled)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Boil the potatoes until tender. Mash them with the soya milk, chives and pepper.
Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add the leek and onion. Saute for five to six minutes, until softened and translucent.
Lay a clean, damp tea towel on the work surface and place two sheets of filo pastry on top. Brush with olive oil. Repeat the process until all the filo pastry has been used.
Spread half the sliced potatoes over two thirds of the pastry, leaving a clear border of pastry along one long edge. Cover with the leek and shallot mixture followed by the remaining potatoes. You may not need all the filling.
Using the tea towel to support the strudel, roll up the strudel towards the clear border of pastry to form a long sausage shape. Transfer to the baking sheet, seam-side-down, and brush the top with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown.