Rudolph Potatoes review and Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie recipe

Rudolph the Red-Skinned 'Tater, Had a very shiny nose

And if you ever saw him, you could even say it glows ! ...

Well, no, it doesn't have quite the same ring to it as the original, but even without the perfect Christmas song, these Rudolph potatoes ARE the perfect accompaniment to your Christmas turkey. Just the name is enough to get you feeling festive ! We received a lovely kit containing a roasting tin, oven gloves, Rudolph potatoes and recipe cards.

I have to admit I'd never heard of this variety but you can find out all about Rudolph Potatoes on their very own website – www.rudolphpotatoes.com. Here's what I found out about them : "Rudolph is a beautiful red-skinned British variety, with snowy white flesh, often referred to as ‘as versatile as a Maris Piper’ and they are available in Asda stores nationwide . Its recent claims include being featured on Saturday Kitchen Live, mentioned on the Steve Wright Show on BBC Radio 2, and quoted as ‘fantastic’ in colour, taste and consistency by Arnaud Stevens, head chef at the Gherkin. Rudolph are grown and packed exclusively by fresh produce experts, Fenmarc, they are 100% British and are packed using ‘green energy’."

I decided to use them as I would my normal potatoes to give them a fair trial and roasted them with our Sunday roast this week - it was a roast chicken so was a bit of a scaled down Christmas dinner really ! They  did come out really nice, with a crispy outside and a creamy inside. The flavour is quite sweet so these would make a great baking potato too, as well as mash.

The website has several recipes, including some created by Observer Food Monthly's 'Young Chef of the Year 2011' Paul Foster, as well as advice on getting the perfect roasties, mash and wedges.

Having just booked our summer holiday for next year - a fortnight in Agadir in Morocco - this is the recipe that leapt out at me :

Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie with Apricots and Roasted Cumin Mash

by Rachel Green

Everybody loves a shepherd's pie, but a lot of people like their food a little bit spicy and this is a simple take on an old favourite. Again, it shows how well the Rudolph potato mash is and this dish can be made and frozen at a later date. This is a great one for Christmas Eve, the calm before the storm!

Serves 4

Prep time:

40 minutes

Cooking time:

1 hour 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas 5

INGREDIENTS

500g lean lamb mince

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped

2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated

2.5 tbsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp mild chilli powder

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tsp honey

100g dried apricots

300ml lamb or beef stock

2 tbsp chopped coriander

Sea salt and black pepper

For the mash:

750g Rudolph potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

50g butter

100ml hot milk

Sea salt and black pepper

½ tbsp toasted cumin seeds

METHOD

Brown the lamb in batches in a large deep pan, drain off any excess oil and set aside.

Using the same pan add the oil and cook the onions on a medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin powder, chilli powder and cook for a further 3 minutes stirring continuously, until the onions are soft and the spices become fragrant.

Return the lamb to the pan, along with the chopped tomatoes, puree, honey, apricots and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

The lamb and the apricots should be tender and the sauce slightly thickened, if the sauce is still runny, cook for a little longer.

Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander, season with sea salt and black pepper.

Whilst the lamb is cooking, prepare the mashed potatoes. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash with the butter and hot milk until you have a creamy consistency; the texture should be fairly soft but still holding its shape. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Spoon the lamb into an ovenproof dish and pile the mash roughly on top. Place the oven proof dish on a baking tray and cook for 40 minutes until the mashed potato is beginning to brown.

Scatter with toasted cumin seeds to serve.

CHEF'S TIPS

This can be made in advance and frozen before cooking but defrost before cooking and cook for 40 mins or until piping hot

Alternative suggestion - you can use beef instead of lamb mince

For a vegetarian option use quorn mince and if you do not like apricots leave them out and add another onion.

for more information and recipe ideas : http://www.fenmarc.com/Rudolph/index.html

Disclosure : I received some Rudolph potatoes and a roasting kit in order to write an honest review.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Tilda British Curry Rice review & Dhruv Baker recipes

Bake It Yourself : BLONDE CHRISTMAS PUDDING AND TIPSY ORANGE SAUCE RECIPE

Classic Thanksgiving Recipes - Sorted !