Blue Cheese and Cheddar Stovies

Ahhhh . . . stovies . . . that traditional Scottish Dish which consists of potatoes, leftover roast from the Sunday roast, and onions stewed in beef drippings and broth on top of the stove . . . until the potatoes are tender and golden . . . and the whole thing becomes amazingly deliciously scrummy. Kind of like a leftover Sunday lunch stew I guess.



These are not stovies in that old tradition . . . I mean there's no meat in sight . . . and I've added cream to the broth, and herbs . . . but it is basically a potato and onion stew . . . cooked in a skillet on top of the stove, until the potatoes are meltingly tender and beginning to brown a bit on the bottom . . .



Sprinkled with cheese and then placed into a hot oven so that the cheese gets all golden and browned in bits . . . these are fabulously delicious.

Each mouthful . . . rich, cheesy, creamy . . . oniony, herby . . . moreishly scrummy.



You get those nice crispy brown bits of potato on the bottom. That oozingly rich sauce. The melted cheese gilding it all with more scrum almost than a body can handle. Blue cheese and strong cheddar . . . oh what a beautiful marriage.



Meat free. . . and on Monday too. If you use a vegetable stock and vegetarian cheeses, it is completely vegetarian . . . but don't shoot me for not being that pedantic. I do my best.



*Blue Cheese and Cheddar Stovies*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Potatoes, onions, cream and cheese. Oh my goodness! Heaven on earth!

1 TBS butter
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
4 medium to large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (a generous pound)
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped (about 2 tsp)
125ml of chicken broth (1/2 cup)
125ml of double cream (1/2 cup)
1 bay leaf
4 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 ounce of blue cheese, crumbled (1/4 cup)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a few thyme leaves to garnish

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Melt the butter in a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Once it begins to foam, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until it softens and begins to turn golden brown. Toss in the garlic and thyme leaves. Cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Add a pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Add the potatoes, chicken broth and cream. Bring to a simmer and then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Remove the cover and the bay leaf. Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over top. Place the skillet into the heated oven and cook for 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with a few fresh thyme leaves to garnish.



Over in The Cottage today, Crispy Fried Potatoes with Eggs.