Salads
Samphire, new potatoes, lentils & feta
There are two varieties of samphire; sea (usually a PYO affair) or marsh, both commonly used with fish. Its distinctive salty flavour lends itself to vegetarian dishes too; it’s brilliant with spuds. This salad uses tomatoes for softness and sweetness, with lentils for an earthy note and protein.
Cook's notes
Samphire grows in sandy areas so let it sit in a bowl of cold water for a couple of minutes to let any grit sink to the bottom, then carefully lift it out and give it a quick extra rinse before use.
Ingredients
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- olive oil
- 400g new potatoes
- 100g samphire
- 1 400g tin dark green speckled lentils
- 10g basil
- 10g dill
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp
- Dijon mustard - add to taste
- 1 lemon
- 50g salad leaves
- 75g feta
Method
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Step 1
Put your oven on to 200˚C/Gas 6. Halve the tomatoes. Lay them cut side up on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil.
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Step 2
Roast the tomatoes in the hot oven for 10-15 mins, until softening and starting to blister, then remove and keep to one side.
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Step 3
Scrub and chop the potatoes into halves or quarters, so they’re roughly evenly sized.
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Step 4
Transfer the potatoes to a saucepan. Add a pinch or two of salt. Pour over boiling water and bring the pan up to the boil on the hob. Cook until just tender to the point of a knife (approx. 12-15 mins) then leave to drain in a colander.
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Step 5
Once the potatoes are on, wash the samphire well. Drain and rinse the lentils in a sieve.
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Step 6
Chop the basil and dill leaves. Peel and finely chop 1 garlic clove.
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Step 7
In a small bowl, make a dressing by mixing adding just a little mustard to start with, with 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Add garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice, both to taste.
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Step 8
Add a little water to another saucepan and blanch (quickly boil) the samphire for 30 secs. Drain and keep to one side.
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Step 9
Stir the lentils into the mustard dressing together with half the chopped herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you like, add a little more mustard, garlic or lemon juice, to taste.
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Step 10
On serving plates, layer the salad leaves, potatoes, lentils, roasted tomatoes and samphire. Top with crumbled feta and the remaining chopped herbs.