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Quick-pickled cucumber for ham

and cheese toasties

Layer these quick pickles into sourdough sandwiches

filled with leg ham and Gruyère before toasting, or keep

them on hand to serve with smoked trout or gravlax.

Butter and mustard,

for spreading

Thick slices of sourdough

bread

Slices of leg ham

and Gruyère

Watercress sprigs, to serve

PICKLED CUCUMBER

500 ml (2 cups) white vinegar

175 gm white sugar

1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

2 Lebanese cucumbers,

thinly sliced

A few sprigs of dill

1 For pickled cucumber,

combine vinegar, sugar,

mustard seeds and 1 tbsp salt

in a saucepan and bring to the

boil, stirring to dissolve. Add

cucumber and dill, transfer

to an airtight container, and

refrigerate until cooled. Pickles

can be used immediately, and

will keep refrigerated for a

couple of weeks.

2 Preheat a sandwich press

to high. Butter bread slices,

spread half with mustard, top

with a slice or two of ham and

cheese, then top with pickles.

Sandwich with remaining bread

and toast in sandwich press

until golden and cheese has

melted (4-5 minutes). Serve with

watercress and extra pickles.

Russian saladSERVES 4-6

This quick potato salad makes a meal of prawns or lobster, or

leftover turkey or ham. Try sour cream in place of crème fraîche.

1 Add potato, celeriac and

carrot to a large saucepan

of boiling salted water and

boil, adding peas for the last

30 seconds, until tender and

easily pierced with a knife

(5-7 minutes). Drain and spread

out on a tray to cool (10 minutes).

2 Stir mayonnaise, crème

fraîche, horseradish, chives

and lemon juice in a large

bowl to combine. Add cooled

vegetables, season to taste

with salt, toss to coat, and

serve with prawns or lobster.

NoteIf you’re using fresh

horseradish, finely grate 2 tbsp

peeled horseradish root on a

microplane, sprinkle with salt

and a little white vinegar and

stand until softened (5 minutes).

200 gm (about 3) waxy

potatoes, such as Nicola,

cut into 1.5cm dice

150 gm celeriac, peeled and

cut into 1.5cm dice

2 carrots, cut into 1cm dice

120 gm (¾ cup) frozen peas,

defrosted

2 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp crème fraîche

2 tbsp jarred or freshly grated

horseradish (see note)

2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Juice of ½ lemon

Cooked king prawns

or lobster, to serve

Don’t stop at seafood. This

potato salad is a fine match

with leftover ham or turkey.

56 GOURMET TRAVELLER