Cheesy Gammon and Potato Bake

I've got history. With graters that is...

This picture happened recently. Its like a crime scene, you can still see traces of the cheese I was attempting to grate. Oh the horror! Me and my Jamie grater had 6 magical years together. I already owned two rather shiny microplanes (and still do but their handles annoy me) but my beloved coarse grater survived 4 house moves and grated a hell of a lot of cheese. And carrots.Probably more. Then one fateful night OH THE HORROR IT SNAPPED!! I almost cried. What shall I do? Do I replace? I was scared in case the horror happened again....

So I went shopping... I tried to look for the JO one *just in case I changed my mind* but couldn't find on the high street...it was late..I was tired...weary...still saddened ...and in a moment of madness I purchased the below lime flecked one for a whole pound. I like a bargain but its not the one for me. The bottom cover thingy seems entirely useless other than to fall off and its unsurprisingly not sharp enough. It doesn't have a good prognosis.

But then a rainbow appeared on the horizon of my tears... and it was a welcome hello to my OXO Good Grips 'Complete Grate and Slice set' and we have fully bonded. Those who follow me on Instagram will testify to that! The set consists of four removable grating and slicing slides - and I used it almost daily ever since receiving it! It has pride of place at the front of the cupboard rather than being abandoned towards the back in the mandolin graveyard.....

As I've had 'issues' with my PC and the odd health one to throw a spanner in the works, I have not been very good writing down any recipes but this one is fairly close. My oven temperature is still wrong and I still share a kitchen so blogging is tricky! I have posted pictures of a similar dish a few years back here  with inspiration from Hampshire Cook but this is the updated one with an actual recipe! 

Sorry if the pictures fuzzy - my PC is still trying to break all my images!

The fine slicing blade in the Good Grips set is awesome - as well as graters, this is my 3rd mandolin set too and its perfectly thin and sharp, oh and easy to use! Which is the main thing! I have slightly wonky joints and ease of use is high up on my agenda!! I used both the fine mandolin and coarse grater for this recipe and it took moments to prepare for a big bowl of comfort food! The gripper tool is strong and hold the veggies well when slicing, to protect your fingers!

Serves 4 (ish) Easy

Ingredients:

480g thinly sliced white potato

150g cooked gammon, shredded

80g lancashire cheese, grated

500g milk

25g butter

25g plain floir

1 tsp English mustard powder

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

S&P to taste

Pre-heat oven to approx 190o

Cover the potatoes in cold water, add the stock powder and bring to the boil for 5 minutes, then drain well

In the saucepan melt the butter, add the flour and mustard powder, stir in the milk gently until thickened and simmer for 5 minutes

Add half the cheese to the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste

Layer up the potatoes with the gammon and a sprinkle of cheese in between. Cover with the sauce and sprinkle over the last of the cheese

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden and all lovingly brown on top.

Many thanks to both OXO Good Grips and to Holly at the Lenny Agency for her patience!

Disclaimer: I received the Complete Grate and Slice set for review only and all opinions and pictures remain the property of Anne's Kitchen

Meal Planning Monday

This week is definitely starting on a better note - I am germ free at last! I am so glad to wave goodbye to my sinus infection, I really can't recommend it! Sleepless nights filled with coughing is definitely something I can live without. I've been a mission to consume a vat load of fruit and veg and I am definitely feeling better for it, hopefully will boost my immune system too! I have a couple more health tests coming up but am keeping positive they will all go swimmingly and I can start getting a bit healthier for summer!

Last week we stayed fairly on plan, Tuesday's Tuna meatballs with spaghetti is a fairly regular dish in our house but this one was definitely one of the best - I added a little pinch of lemon zest to the meatballs and crumbed them very lightly, and they were delicious! Wednesdays sausages got moved to Saturday night as we had something else instead....though I can't quite recall what... The jambalaya for Thursday was still rice based dish but B forgot the aubergines and I had a jar of leftover nacho cheese dip - so that became the sauce loosened with some stock and I added some bacon grill, it was a surprise hit too!

I am not sure if I can post a meal plan next week - the laptop is going back to the chop shop as its still playing up! On a positive note I think I've cracked One Drive and managed to install on my iPad so at least have some technology to hand! Also at last my phone is released from ee's clutches and I can actually call and text people again! I think we get so reliant on being in communication with others I felt quite lost without it. Though I don't entirely think its a bad idea, I have been been trying to practice more mindfulness and its worked wonders for relaxation!

This week I am super poor - after a horrific dentist bill on Tuesday and impending MOT I am down to porridge! Its a good job I have a good store cupboard and lots in the freezer! Last night I made a head start and baked biscuits for the tin, a vat of ham hock pasta for lunches and even some bread! Fortunately I found some supermarket vouchers in a draw, which covered most of the food shop on Saturday so at least its now a decent meal plan!

Warm smoked salmon and avocado salad, home made bread 

(the avo claim to be perfectly ripe...)

Sweet chilli prawn stir fry with noodles 

Whole baked cauliflower cheese, with bacon, green veggies on side

(made this a few weeks back and it was lush!)

Baked haddock fillets on a bed of puy lentils and leeks

(Haddock bought reduced, may coat in pesto)

Curry night

Linky

Do you have any new dishes on your plan this week?

Meal Planning Monday

I'm back! Well sort of. The laptop is still continuing with its mission to destroy me and will be yet again be returned to the fixers at the weekend, if not before then or I might actually just throw it out of the window! I should of taken it last week as its still losing the wifi connection, over heating and doing other random things, oh and refusing to download google chrome, so I am trying to do this in Edge which frankly is crap and keeps crashing....but then the germs doing the rounds instead took me over and so most of last week involved this:

And then my cold decided on Thursday it was not quite done with me, as I ended up with a full blown sinus infection with a trip to the GP and now on antibiotics instead! Fortunately I have turned a corner and feeling human again!

So onto meal planning... with the PC driving me insane I've not been very good at going near it without wasting an hour trying to resolve its issues! We have eaten really well of late, even with my germs and Saturday night I finally got a bit of my cooking happiness back and actually made something new in the form of braised Miso Aubergine-needs a bit of tweaking but a good start!

This weeks plan is roughly thrown together, and fitting around hospital appointments and dentists - that's soup night after both the hygienist and a filling being replaced, what was I thinking?! I have been quite good using up odds n sods from the freezer, oh and we had to buy a new fridge recently too which involved eating lots of leftovers in one sitting! Its been an expensive few weeks so definitely no extra shopping this week!

Special fried rice -

basically leftovers from the weekend cooked together and topped with a fried egg!

Tuna meatballs and spaghetti

Cupboard staple meal!

Chorizo sausages, mash, kale

Mostly for B and lunches, I will be on green soup when the numbness wears off!

Jambalaya

With bacon and whatever veg needs eating!

Beef burgers, sweet potato wedges

Easy Friday dinner! Burgers are squirreled away in freezer so just have to remember to thaw them!