Potato Masala filling for Masala Dosas

If you love a masala dosa, then here is how to make the delicious potato masala filling!

One of my absolute favourite Southern Indian foods is a masala dosa: A crispy pancake made from a fermented rice and lentil batter, with a delicious spiced potato filling, traditionally served with sambar (a light soupy dal made with lentils, spices, tomato and vegetables) and a creamy coconut chutney. There are many regional variations, and I've made my potato filling from traditional ingredients based on the flavours of the dosas from Southern Indian restaurants along the 'Golden Mile' in my home town of Leicester where some of the best authentic Indian food in the UK can be found.

It really is the kind of dish which has so many flavours and textures, and is so tasty that it wouldn't even enter your head that you were eating vegan food, or missing your meat and dairy! Making the potato filling and the sambar isn't at all difficult or time consuming, so if you love a dosa it's well worth having a go, and you can buy ready made dosa batter from Asian grocers if you find the idea of making that yourself daunting, and just fry the pancakes at home.

Makes enough potato masala for approximately 16 medium-sized dosas, or 8 large dosas if you have a large dosa pan! (i.e. serves 8 people one portion each - or in my case serves 4 and freeze the rest for another time!)

Luxury Potato Salad

 A delicious, creamy potato salad full of flavour

This potato salad is delicious both warm or cold, depending on what you're serving it with.

Great as an accompaniment to cold meats, smoked fish, cured meats, barbecues, salads, leftover roast chicken and almost anything you can think of!

If you want to lower the calories, use fat free Greek yoghurt, light mayonnaise and half fat creme fraiche (or just extra yoghurt). Will keep happily in the fridge for a few days. Serves 8 to 10 comfortably, easily halved.

Hearty Shepherd's Pie (including Instant Pot Pressure Cooker method)

There are few things more comforting for lamb lovers, than a decent Shepherd's pie!

After cooking an enormous (for us!) leg of lamb, I really wanted to make the most of the leftovers in a tasty dish everyone would love, including using up the lamb stock I had made from the bones too (although a decent lamb stock cube will do a good job too).

Shepherd's pie is such a classic way of using up roast leftovers, and really did ours justice. We like to cook our lamb leg roasts pink, and after braising in the sauce the meat leftovers came out really tender cooked this way, so I'd highly recommend it. I usually make Shepherd's pie from raw minced lamb, as there aren't generally enough leftovers after a roast for a decent-sized pie, but it's definitely worth making extra for this!

Cottage Pie (with Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker method)

Delicious, homely, comfort food for the whole family.

Who doesn't have a fond memory of eating home-cooked cottage pie as a child, on a cold winter's day? It's one of those quintessentially English dishes that most of us probably grew up enjoying around the table with the rest of the family.

This is my traditional family recipe with a splash of ale in the gravy and delicious buttery mash, that we love to enjoy together, usually at the weekend. And not only have you got the recipe for the indulgent version, I've given you a suggested alternatives tip to make an equally delicious skinny version from only 313 calories a portion!

Serves six, 580 calories per portion (based on maximum amounts of ingredients below, butter and cheese in the mash, and butter dotted on top. Adjust calories if grating cheese on top). If you only ate a smaller portion, i.e. an eighth, it would be 435 calories per portion.