Spicy Breakfast Beans with Potato Rosti and a Garlic & Herb Oil

Kate Forrester - I chose to become plant based after hearing a scientist talking on the radio about the number one thing we can do to help our impact on the environment. I felt so determined to do my part and vowed from then on to become plant based. Following that I started studying herbalism and learning to grow my own veg following Charles Dowding’s No Dig method which is so brilliant for soil life . It made it all the more fun to come up with delicious and health giving recipes for my family and my clients.

Spicy breakfast beans with potato rosti and a garlic & herb oil 

Ingredients:

2 white potatoes - Maris piper 

Vegan stock cube or tsp boullion 

300g good preferably organic passata 

2 tbsp of tomato paste 

400g borlotti beans soaked or a tin of cooked 

1 bunch spring onions 

2 tbsp paprika 

2 tbsp ground cumin 

1 tsp oregano 

1 tsp dried chilli flakes 

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1/2 red chilli to your heat preference 

Garlic and herb oil : 

3 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons cider vinegar 

1 clove of garlic 

half the chopped green ends of spring onion

1/4 bunch of parsley or coriander 

Other 1/2 of chilli to your personal heat preference

Salt and pepper 

 

You can get tinned borlotti beans in pretty much all supermarkets. I bulk buy them as dried beans to save on packaging . I cook at big batch and keep them in the fridge to use for different recipes in the week. 

 

Method:

If cooking from raw cover the beans with about 2 inches of water and a tsp of salt . Add in vegan stock or boullion , bring to boil then simmer with a lid on for an hour . Check every 20 mins and add more water if drying out . Once tender drain off some water if there is lots extra, you want leave about a 1/2 cup of water in the pan.  

If using tin of borlotti don’t drain it , throw it all in add stock and bring to a simmer. Next add in passata and organic tomato paste . Obviously you don’t have to get organic but the paste especially tastes so much better and actually sweet like it should be ! Optional add in a handful of fresh cherry tomatoes if in season in U.K. 

Add in all the spices , white end of the spring onions and chopped chilli . Simmer on low until it thickens up , you want it the consistency of baked beans , about 15 mins. Stir occasionally so nothing is sticking at the bottom. 

Whilst it’s simmering , peel and grate your potatoes. In a frying pan add a tablespoon of oil and let it heat up on medium to hot. Take two tablespoons of your potato and press down into the pan making little flat burger pattie shapes. Don’t let the pan get too hot and resist moving the potato cakes about at first. If getting too dry and starting to smoke in pan add in a teaspoon of oil and roll it around and maybe turn it down a bit . Squash the potato rosti down so the grated potato sticks together and after 2 mins flip them . They should be sticking together and golden. Continue on medium heat until they cook through . You can keep them warm in the oven if you need at 150 degrees c  

Finely Chop / pestle & mortar or blitz all the garlic and herb ingredients. 

To finish the beans add in the other chopped herbs , left over green bits of the spring onion , the garlic , season , I reckon a lot of black pepper . 

Serve beans with crispy rosti cakes and the herb sauce , extra fresh chopped chilli is good too.