Potato & Spring Onion Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Ricotta & Asparagus

Healthy eating certainly shouldn't mean bland, boring food. Eating well is about enjoying good, simple, home-cooked meals. Although it can take a little longer, making your food from scratch means you know exactly what's going into it. Fresh, minimally-processed ingredients that deliver on colour, flavour, and nutrition also help steer you clear from too many preservatives and excess sugar, salt and trans fats.

Although making your own pancakes requires a little more effort than cutting off a slice of bread and sticking it in the toaster, I promise these are worth the effort. The potato makes for a soft, fluffy, chewy texture and the smell as the pancakes cook is divine. Once they’re loaded up with smoked salmon, fresh greens, creamy ricotta and you’re tucking in, you’ll be glad you went to the bother.

You can always make a larger batch and store the batter in the fridge - it'll keep for a couple of days. Alternatively you can freeze the pancakes once they're cooked and simply defrost and heat through when you're ready for more.

For the pancakes (makes 12)

• 150g white potatoes, peeled

• 175g self raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• A pinch of salt

• 2 eggs

• 175g Greek or natural yoghurt

• 150ml milk

• 6 spring onions

• Oil for frying

To serve (per person)

• 2 pancakes

• 4-5 asparagus spears

• 2 slices of smoked salmon

• A handful of baby spinach leaves

• 1/2 small avocado

• 1 tbsp ricotta cheese

• A squeeze lemon juice

• Cracked black pepper

Method

• For the pancakes: Cut the potatoes into 1.5 inch cubes and place in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the heat and drain. Leave the potatoes to one side until cool.

• Meanwhile, sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.

• Slice the spring onions widthways, into little discs, then stir through the flour mix.

• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, yoghurt and milk together.

• Once the potatoes have cooled, mash to a fairly fine consistency (a little texture is okay) then mix the potatoes into the bowl with the eggs, yoghurt and milk until well combined.

• Make a well in the centre of the flour and gently pour in the egg/potato mix. Stir until everything is well combined.

• Heat a non-stick fry pan to a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, brush with a little oil then spoon in a large tablespoon of your pancake batter. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to bubble on the surface, then flip and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, until golden (cooking times may vary depending on the fierceness of your stovetop, so keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn). Remove from the pan and leave to rest on a wire rack or a plate lined with baking parchment while you cook the rest of the pancakes (alternatively, store the remaining batter in the fridge to use tomorrow).

• To serve: Bring a small pan of water to the boil, add the asparagus spears and gently simmer for 1-2 minutes, until just cooked. Drain and keep to one side.

• Slice the avocado and layer across two of the pancakes. Add a 1/2 tbsp ricotta to each pancake, a few baby spinach leaves, the smoked salmon and the asparagus, then lift one pancake on top of the other to serve.

Nutrition

	Per 100g	Per serve (308g)
Calories (kcal)	121 kcal	374 kcal
Carbohydrate	9.5 g	29 g
of which sugars	1.4 g	4.2 g
Fat	5.2 g	16 g
of which saturates	1.8 g	5.7 g
Protein	8.8 g	27 g
Fibre	0.6 g	1.9 g