Stilton, potato and onion slice

I know I bang on a lot about local food. But sometimes, just sometimes, it’s nice to have a treat that comes from a long way away.

Potted Blue Stilton by Cropwell Bishop Creamery

While we were in Ballarat, we called into a store called Darriwill Farm. They have all sorts of high-end foodie treats and home wares. They had the most beautiful wicker picnic hamper I’ve ever seen, but I managed to keep my wallet shut. Well, that was until I saw a little ceramic pot of English, Blue Stilton Cheese. It was just the  right size and the pot was so pretty; cream glaze with a red design. It was from Cropwell Bishop Creamery in Nottingham, England. I couldn’t resist. I bought it. What a fine pot of cheese it is too. Once I cracked the wax, a fine blue line of mould began to appear through it. It was strong and pungent like I’d expected, but still lovely, creamy and mellow in the aftertaste. It’s simply delicious merely spread on a biscuit, but I wanted to do something more with it too. I wanted to make something very British and thought of a savoury slice: with potato slices and sweet onions. As it turns out, it was a great idea. It turned out a treat.

3		onions
1	tablespoon	butter
4		medium sized potatoes
1	teaspoon	salt
40	grams	Stilton cheese
3		eggs
1/4	cup	cream

Slice the onions. Melt the butter in small, lidded saucepan and add the onions and cover. Cook very slowly, on a low heat for an hour or more. You want them to be sweet and soft.

Wash your potatoes. Using a mandolin or the long blade on your vegetable grater, slice the potatoes into very thin discs. Salt the slices, place in bowl and cover with cold water till you are ready to use them.

Preheat the oven to 170^oC. Butter and line a loaf tin. (I used a silicon loaf tin and only greased it, it worked fine.)

Pat dry a handful of potato slices on kitchen towel. Carefully arrange one layer of potato slices on the bottom of the pan. Scatter over a small quantity of caramelised onion. Carefully arrange another layer of dried potato slices atop the onions. Scatter over a small portion of crumbled Stilton. Repeat with alternating layers till you run out of ingredients, ending with a layer of potato slices.

Beat the eggs with the cream and pour gently into the tin.

Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 220^oC and bake till the top is crisp and golden. The potato should be tender all the way through.

If desired, serve with a little extra Stilton crumbled on top, and a salad of mustard greens, pea shoots and pear.

Stilton, potato and onion slice