Hash browns with cheese sauce and pancetta

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

• 200g potatoes
• 30g neutral oil
• 5g salt
• 5g black lovage flowers
• 2 leeks
• 50g butter
• 200g milk
• 100g Emmental, grated
• 30g flour
• 30g water
• 5g salt
• 100g sliced pancetta 
• Nasturtium flowers, as needed
• Mallow flowers, as needed

Method

1. Place the sliced pancetta onto a tray lined with a baking sheet. Bake them in the oven at 180'C for around 10 minutes or till crispy and golden brown.
2. Grate the potato on the medium grater section. Grate the potatoes into a bowl and add the salt and the black lovage blossoms.
3. Press the grated potatoes to remove all the water and shape it into a cake.
4. Place a non-stick pan onto a medium low heat and add some oil to the pan. Place the cake into a pan and cook for around 15 minutes flipping over every 2 minutes or so.
5. Towards the last 5 minutes of cooking add half the butter to the pan.
6. In a pot add a few drops of oil and the other half of the butter. Add the chopped leeks to the pot and season with some salt. Cook the leeks for 3 minutes till nice and soft.
7.  Once done add the milk and bring to the boil.
8. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water and flour to form a very thin paste. When the milk is at a boil add this mixture and whisk in till the milk thickens heavily.
9. Once thick remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese.
10. To construct the dish place the hash brown at the bottom of a roasting dish. On top, place ¾ of the crispy pancetta on top and then add the cheese sauce on top.
11. Place the dish in the oven and bake at 250'C till the mornay sauce has browned nicely.
12. Garnish the top of the dish with edible flowers and crispy pancetta.

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, March 2019 

Watch the full episode below: