Roasted Roots for supper

Today I harvested root veg.  From crops of carrots, parsnips and beetroots I steamed the beetroot tops and roasted all the roots.  

As my crops of root veg are rather modest in size! they didn't take long to roast.  I only put the heat of the oven to about 140 degrees C and they took about half an hour to roast.  I roasted them with a chopped shallot and some garlic.

When they were ready I mixed in some goats cheese and a little chilli and mixed it in well.  I steamed the beetroot tops and made a light vinaigrette to flavour the tops (rapeseed oil, whole grain mustard, a touch of balsamic vinegar)

I was really surprised but this meal was really filling and satisfying in the knowledge that all my ingredients were grown organically in my garden.  Yum :)

Mashed Potatoes & Peppers

Tonight as I was making some mashed potatoes with some fried onions and bacon bits, I thought I'd add some sweet peppers I've got growing on some plants in my flat.  I lightly fried the peppers, onions and bacon bits and as I was mashing up the potatoes at the end thought I'd add a generous portion of chilli flakes.  As this was a real winner in my home I thought I'd share it with you.

Ingredients:

Potatoes (for mashing)
Margarine/Butter (for the potato mash)
2 chopped onions
5 chopped garlic
2 sweet chillies
3 slices of bacon
Chilli flakes (I leave the quantity up to you)

Method:

1.  Peel, chop and boil the potatoes until soft.
2.  Chop the onions, garlic and sweet peppers.
3.  Fry the onions, garlic and sweet peppers on a low heat.  When they are done remove them from the heat.
4.  Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry.
5.  Drain and mash the potatoes with a good dollop of margarine or butter.
6.  Add the bacon, onions, garlic and sweet peppers to the mix and mix well in.
7.  Sprinkle some chilli flakes into the mix.  Mix in and taste.  Add more chilli flakes if you need more heat.
8.  Enjoy!!  Great for a cool autumn evening.