moro top ten: trinxat

“we first ate this dish at a simple restaurant on the outskirts of barcelona – it is like a particularly delicious bubble and squeak”

this recipe from moro east combines potatoes, turnips and greens with a couple of types of pork to create bubble and squeak, spanish style. i was quite excited by this as it was a good excuse to buy turnips, a vegetable i only use rarely (has anyone any recipe recommendations to show them off?).

so, how did i get on?

it’s an easy dish but it does take time to prepare all the components. the good thing is that you could prepare most of it in advance, and just cook it when you’re ready to eat. it’s also quite adaptable – i made individual servings rather than one large sharing portion; i also added girolles to the topping which was lovely. a poached egg would be also work really well and i think wild garlic would be a nice alternative to using garlic cloves.

the final verdict:

would i have tried this recipe if it hadn't been part of the moro top ten? no – i’m not a fan of potatoes so it just wouldn’t have occurred to me.

would i try this recipe again in the future? yes - the dish is delicious and is a particularly nice choice for brunch where you want to make a bit of effort.

moro’s trinxat (serves 4)

500g firm potatoes, such as cyprus, peeled and cut into chunks for boiling

6 tablespoons of olive oil

8 thin rashers of smoked pancetta or good-quality smoked bacon with the rind removed

3 garlic cloves, sliced

60g spanish tocino or italian lardo, trimmed and cut into chunky matchsticks (use pancetta if you can’t get tocino or lardo)

500g medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1.5cm dice

300g spring greens or brussels tops, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 pinches of grated nutmeg (optional and not traditional)

cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat and fry the pancetta rashers for a few minutes until crispy. lift out the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

add the garlic and tocino to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until they begin to colour. stir in the turnips, cook for 5 minutes until they begin to soften then add the greens. season with salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg, if using, and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. if the mixture is starting to catch turn the heat down low when ready remove from the heat and set aside.

roughly mash the potatoes, stir them into the turnip mixture and mash a little more. season with salt and pepper to taste.