Ingredients

1kg carrots (washed and cut into chunks)
800g small potatoes (washed and cut into chunks)
1 medium onion (peeled and finely diced)
6 slices of bacon
2 chicken stock cubes
Salt and pepper to season
Vegetable oil

Method

1. In a small pan, cover half the potatoes with cold water, then add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil for two minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.

2. Heat two dessert spoons of oil in a medium sized heavy-bottomed pan ad soften the onion. Add the carrots, the remaining potato, stock cubes and 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Don't over cook as this will destroy any nutrients.

3. Allow to cool a little before puréeing with a stick blender or in a food processor. Set aside while you finish the potatoes and cook the bacon.

4. Chop the bacon as fine as you can with a sharp knife until it forms a sticky sort of lump. Rinse your hands in cold water and grab about a teaspoon-full and shape into a ball and place on a lightly oiled plate.

5. When you have shaped all of the bacon, bring 2cm of water to the boil in a frying pan and carefully add the bacon. Gently simmer the balls for five minutes then scoop out onto kitchen paper.

6. Fry the par-boiled potatoes in about half a centimetre of oil until crisp and golden brown then add the bacon balls to reheat and colour.

7. Heat your soup and check the seasoning and serve with the potato croutons and bacon dumplings, sprinkled with some black pepper.


Recipe by Christian Gott, An Island Chef as featured in the Jersey Evening Post, Family Meals for a Fiver series, 21 January 2023
*Prices correct at time of print