Potato Crêpes of Asparagus and Brie with Warm Beetroot and Puy Lentil Salsa

From For the Love of Food, Denis Cotter, Collins, 2010.

I always approach a new Denis Cotter recipe with a lot of anticipation. They sound so good. However, I don’t always find that they match my expectation. That’s the case with this recipe. Some, such as a cauliflower risotto or Lucy’s breakfast sausages, turned out wonderfully but others have been a little disappointing. This could, of course, be the result of my cooking.

The crêpe mixture for this one was the usual with the addition of mashed potato, sour cream, cayenne pepper and chives. This was left in the fridge while other elements were prepared.

Asparagus was boiled for a few minutes until it was tender, about 3 minutes. It was then drained and cooled.

I dispensed with the idea of the tarragon butter as fresh tarragon was unavailable. A little melted butter would I hope do the trick.

Puy lentils were put on to cook with a little thyme and garlic. The amount of water called for was just not sufficient to cook the lentils in and extra had to added several times. When they were done, there was no need to drain the lentils as there was no water left. A diced cooked beetroot was added with sliced spring onions, some maple syrup and a little balsamic vinegar.

While the lentils were cooking the crêpes were made. Each crêpe had Brie pieces placed across the centre, asparagus was laid across this, and the crêpe was rolled up. Some melted butter was dribbled over these and they went in the oven to warm them through and melt the Brie.

They were then ready to serve with the lentil salad.

While this turned out to be a reasonable dish it was no real winner for me. I did enjoy the potato crêpes though. There were some left over and I had them the next day adding a variety of whatever I could find from the fridge and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔