Is it just me, or did last week feel the longest week, EVER?!

I worked over the Christmas break (well, minus the bank hols, thankfully!) so it was basically like a couple of days in the office followed by a few days off, on repeat. The first full week back felt like a bit of an assault – I’m not sure I can deal with a proper five day week any more!

I purposely scheduled as little as possible this weekend and can report back it’s been a blissful 48 hours of lie-ins, naps and Netflix.

Between it all, I somehow found the time to make this masterpiece:

Perfectly golden, crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, focaccia, topped with sliced potatoes, parmesan shavings and kale pesto.

❤

^ Absolutely love this crust – particularly the dimples, where the brine settles in so you get pockets of extra flavour!

^ Also, can we talk about these purple potatoes for a minute, aren’t they just stunning?!

Love a bit of carb on carb action!

Definitely sat here typing this up with another slice to hand…

^ And this recipe yields extra pesto too – so you can pop it in the fridge for some pasta later in the week.

Enjoy

-Kay

 

Ingredients

Focaccia

• 500g strong white flour
• 50g semolina flour
• 1 sachet active dried yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 325ml water
• 25ml olive oil

Kale Pesto [I made lots – this is enough to fill a small jar, the recipe calls for a couple of spoonfuls so you will have plenty left over, store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within a week]

• 85g pine nuts (toasted in a pan for a few mins until they smell nutty and are slightly browned)
• 50g parmesan
• 1 garlic clove
• 75ml olive oil
• 150g kale (remove any thick stems)
• Pinch of salt
• Juice of one lemon

Brine

• 1 tsp sea salt
• 75ml water
• 50ml olive oil

Other

• 400-500g potatoes (I used purple and new potatoes)
• Olive oil (to drizzle as needed)
• 1 tbsp semolina flour (to sprinkle on the baking tray)
• 20g parmesan, shaved (for serving)

Instructions

Focaccia

1. Mix together the dry ingredients – flours, yeast, salt and sugar – in a large bowl.
2. In a measuring jug, combine the liquid ingredients – water and olive oil – before making a well in the centre of the flour mix and pouring in half.
3. Use a spoon to mix and combine before adding the rest of the liquids, stir till the dough comes together.
4. Then, turn out the dough onto a clean worktop and knead for about 10mins until the dough is smooth and then shape into a ball.
5.  Pour an extra teaspoon of olive oil onto your hand, coat the dough and place back into the bowl.
6. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for an hour.
7. When you return the dough will have doubled in size, knock it back, cover and allow to rise again (45mins or so)
8. Meanwhile, make the pesto and prepare the large baking tray by sprinkling over a tablespoon of semolina flour.
9. When the dough has completed it’s the second rise, shape the dough into a rough rectangle and place onto the prepared large baking tray.
10. Pull and stretch it out then cover with a tea towel to rest and rise again.
11. Preheat your oven to gas mark 7.
12. Meanwhile, thinly slice your potatoes and make the brine by combining the ingredients listed above.
13. Next, use your fingers to poke the dough to make dimples, all over the surface of the dough.
14. Carefully pour over the brine, ensuring even coverage.
15. And top the dough with the sliced potatoes.
16. Transfer your baking tray to the oven and allow the dough to bake for 22-25mins or until cooked through and golden.
17. Top with pesto and parmesan shavings then slice to serve.

Kale Pesto

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz till combined.