On his first overseas voyage described in ‘The Lord God made them all’ James Herriot (Alf Wight) kept a diary of the his adventure to Russia with a cargo of sheep. He made particular friends with Nielson the ships cook who kept Alf very well fed during the trip. At the end of the voyage Nielson made a dish that was described as ‘Hot Love’ in the book. It turns out that is was in fact an ancient Danish dish called ‘Burning Love’. It has similarities to the other James Herriot recipes I have been tackling i.e. simple to make and created from very basic ingredients that were available to rural farming communities. Here it is if you want to try it and think of James Herriot tucking into it on board the ‘Iris Clauson’ on his way home to Helen and the Dales.

Hot Love

Recipe by Roger FrenchCourse: MainDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

553

kcal

Ingredients

• 800g Potatoes

• 100ml Milk

• 40g Butter

• 2 x Medium Onions

• 6 Thick Bacon rashers, diced (300g)

• Black Pepper

• Salt

Directions

• Peel potatoes and cut into small chunks
• Boil potatoes until soft, about 20 minutes
• Meanwhile, peel, slice and dice onions
• Cut the bacon into small pieces, use scissors rather than a knife to make it easier.
• Fry the bacon until crisp and then add the onion until it is soft and golden.
• Drain potatoes put into a bowl and mash/whisk, adding the milk and butter until nice and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve the potatoes shaped like a mini-volcano onto a hot plate with an indent at the top. Spoon the bacon and onion on top. Sprinkle with parsley and/or chives. Traditionally serve with picked beetroot.

Notes

• The simplicity of this recipe is its real strength – but very tasty too
• Recommended music to accompany the preparation has to be ‘Hot Love’ by T.Rex https://youtu.be/fGx7nrjn0ic