With the current economic climate leading to many families having to clamp down on their spending, the average family shopping bill is coming under scrutiny by more and more families. When faced with the need to reduce the weekly grocery bill there is no need to reduce the quality of the meals cooked or indeed the size of the portions presented.
A dish of Anglesey Eggs will prove popular with bank balances and appetites alike. This traditional Welsh Recipe is easy to prepare and makes a great midweek main course.
Recipe for Anglesey Eggs
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 450g/1lb Floury White Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
- 675g/1-1/2lbs Leeks
- 50g/2oz Butter
- 1/2 tsp. Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 150g/5oz Caerphilly Cheese, grated (you can use Cheddar)
- 2 tbsp. Plain Flour
- 300ml/10fl.oz. Milk
- 6 Hard Boiled Eggs, cut into quarters lengthways.
- 2 tbsp. Fresh white Breadcrumbs (do not use the pre-bought golden ones)
Instructions
Before beginning ensure that the eggs are cooked and peeled. To prevent the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs from going grey, make sure that they are plunged them straight into a bowl of ice cold water after they have finished cooking. This will prevent them from continuing to cook in the shell and will stop the ugly grey discoloration occurring.
1. Place the potatoes in a large pan of salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until just tender.
2. Wash the leeks well, trim and slice finely. Place in a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 10 -15 minutes until soft.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F Gas Mark 6.
4. Melt half the butter in a saucepan and sprinkle in the flour, stirring. Cook for 1 minute then gradually add the milk, whilst stirring. Continue to cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove from the heat, season with salt and black pepper and stir in most of the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.
5. Drain the potatoes and leeks and return to a large saucepan. Mash thoroughly, adding half the butter and the grated nutmeg, continue to mash until the mixture is light and fluffy.
6. Transfer to a greased shallow ovenproof dish and arrange the quartered eggs on the top.
7. Pour the sauce over the top then sprinkle over the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in the over for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestion:
This is delicious served with some home baked bread and butter or a simple green salad.
There are many recipes from Traditional Welsh Cuisine that prove economical, such as Laverbread oatcakes. A good source of economy driven recipes can also be found in wartime cookery books where every ingredient and penny counted. Leftovers are seldom unusable to the frugal cook; dishes such as Bubble and Squeak are tasty, filling and cost next to nothing, being made from the previous day’s leftovers. Finally, whether vegetarian or not the exclusion of meat from the weekly shopping bill will also have a positive effect on the weekly budget.
Andrea Seren Charrington-Greene - Seren is a qualified and experienced Medical Herbalist and Holistic Therapist who runs a successful natural fertility clinic. Where she ...
