Potato and parsley soup with black pudding and cheddar toasties
Ingredients
For the soup
- 700g/1lb 9oz Désirée potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 750ml/1¼ pints vegetable or chicken stock
- 150ml/5fl oz double cream
- 6 tbsp parsley oil (1 bunch parsley blended with 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil)
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú black pudding, cut into cubes
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the black pudding and cheddar toasties
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter
- 200g/7oz black pudding, chopped
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- small bunch fresh curly or flatleaf parsley (thick stalks removed), finely chopped
- 4 large cheddar slices
- 8 thick slices white bread
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the soup, place the potatoes in a colander and rinse to remove excess starch. Drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over a low heat and add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the potatoes with a cartouche – a damp circle of baking paper cut to the width of the pan. Sweat the potatoes over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the cartouche, pour in the stock, stir well and bring to a simmer. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the potato is very soft.
Carefully transfer the soup to a blender (you may need to blend in two batches). Put the lid on and drape a folded kitchen towel over it. Holding down the lid, blend the soup until smooth. Pour in the cream and blend again to mix. Pour the soup into a clean saucepan, stir in the parsley oil and season with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, loosen with a little boiling water. Reheat before serving.
To make the toasties, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. As it begins to foam, add the black pudding. Fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown all over. Stir in the shallot and garlic and fry for another 6–8 minutes until the shallots are tender. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and take the pan off the heat. Leave to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Lay a slice of cheddar on a slice of bread, then spread a layer of black pudding mixture over the cheese. Sandwich with another slice of bread. Repeat until there are four toasties.
Toast the sandwiches using a panini press, toasted sandwich maker or grill on a hot griddle pan, pressing down with the back of a spatula as you toast each side. Once just toasted, place in the oven for 5 minutes until the filling is warm and the cheese has melted.
Meanwhile to finish the soup, heat a non-stick frying pan until hot. Add the black pudding and toss until golden all over. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the black pudding and drizzle over a little oil. Slice the toasties into quarters and serve alongside.
Recipe Tips
The sandwiches can be made a few hours in advance – wrap well with cling film and store in the fridge.