RECIPE // beetroot rosti with avocado

If you had told me when I was little that one day I would be so crazy about avocado that I would even eat it for breakfast, I would have laughed in disbelief. Because avocado is green. And back then I was *quote* allergic *end quote* to anything green. So the very thought of avocado toast would have been ludicrous. But here we are. Here we are in an age where our news feeds are image after image of the green stuff.

But why stop there? If we are going to turn to turn the rules of acceptable breakfast fare upside down, why not go all the way? Which is where ladies and gentlemen, I throw beetroot into the mix.

Full of iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and a good source of folic acid, fibre and potassium, beetroot is proven to be good for us. So why is the idea of eating it first thing in the morning unfathomable? No more, my friends.

The other morning I made these beetroot rosti's (think of them as classy hash browns, if you will!) and oh my word, why haven't we tried this sooner? Beetroot is good. That is, if you can overlook its messy demeanour.

With beetroot forever staining my skin / clothing / crockery / work surfaces, the Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves* I was sent to review were perfect for the job.

But Lucy, there are so many disposable gloves out there, I hear you say. Why these gloves?

Well, the Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves mark the launch of the first ever gloves made with food preparation and handling in mind. With the added benefits of being:

• 100% latex free - perfect for those with latex allergies

• Tested to EN standards and having the ECARF label and seal of approval

• 100% powder free - having tried out the gloves for myself, I can verify I didn't have any sort of powder or grit contaminating my food or any leftover on my hands afterwards. Nor did my hands have that weird plastic glove smell afterwards (win!)

All in all, meaning that your hands have the ultimate protection against smells and stains. Which when you cook with garlic as much as I do, is music to your ears.

For the ultimate test against the trinity of stains, smells and rips, I decided that a beetroot rosti would fit the bill perfectly for the following reasons:

• Stains - would the gloves protect my hands from the sheer bloodshed you get from opening a pack of beetroot?

• Smells - would the gloves help with the classic annoyance of having my hands and nails smell of garlic DAYS after I have cooked with the damn thing?

• Rips - how would the gloves fare against a grater when I grated the potatoes and beetroot?

And I must say, I was impressed. I had already hoped that my hands would be stain and smell free - because that's the very least you can ask from gloves like these. However I honestly didn't expect them to survive the grater. Because I wasn't exactly being light handed on the thing. If I wasn't wearing gloves, I probably would have shred my fingers to pieces!

The end result was delicious (the rosti's not the gloves!). I pan fried each rosti for approx 4-6 minutes on each side and then served whilst hot with a generous sprinkling of rock salt to help enhance the crunch of the rosti, and topped with buttery avocado slices. Because beetroot and avocado is a winning flavour combination (go try it if you haven't already!). And what better way to start your day than with a colourful plate staring up at you?

Perfect for breakfast / brunch / lunch, if you want to give this colourful plate a go one day, you can find the full recipe below:

YOU WILL NEED...

• x4 large Maris Piper potatoes
• x3 cloves of garlic
• Pack of x4 ready to eat beetroot
• Salt and pepper
• Cooking oil
• x1 avocado

METHOD

1. Scrub potatoes to remove any excess dirt. Do not peel as there are so many good nutrients in the skin and it would be a shame to waste them!
2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and boil your potatoes for 7-8 minutes on a medium-high heat.
3. Run your potatoes through a colander and drain. Leave to one side to cool.
4. Once cool, grate the potatoes (I use an IKEA grater container as it makes grating so much easier and neater, keeping it all contained in one place)
5. Transfer your shredded potatoes into a large mixing bowl
6. Season with salt and pepper and add the crushed garlic
7. Next grate the beetroot - things will get messy! This is where having the Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves came in really handy, protecting my hands.
8. Add the beetroot to the other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Combine and form however many patties you like (I made x8 big ones!). The mixture will very quickly look like super pink burgers!
9. Oil a frying pan and fry each rosti for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until golden. Dab each one off on kitchen towel once done to mop up the excess oil
10. Serve whilst hot, adding more seasoning to taste

Makes approx x8 rosti's

Do let me know in the comments below or by reaching out to me on Twitter or Instagram (I'm @Lucy_Angele on both!) if you give this recipe a try! It's something a little bit different from avocado toast, but is every bit as tasty!

* Post sponsored by Marigold

#11 Life as we know it

Long time no see... So what's happened since last time? I left my job. It was something that was on the cards for a very long time. I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of it all, but it was a company that treated its employees appallingly. Wanting out, I'd been going to interviews for over a year but wasn't getting anywhere. It really eats you up. Knowing you have so much to give and nowhere will take you. Meaning you have to remain in a role that is exploitative and all take take take. It's soul destroying. But then I was recommended for a role by an ex colleague and I was in. My first week felt like a dream. It all happened so quickly. After my first day, I got home, got straight into bed and pulled the duvet over my head. Not because I was stressed. Not because I was broken. But purely because I was so over-whelmed. I haven't been this happy in a very long time.

In my first week I learnt that we get decent views of the red carpet for London film premieres from our window. On my second day I got to see the Expendables 3 premiere. Stallone and co waved up at us and Wesley Snipes danced a funny little dance. So if you're ever in London and want to celebrity spot at a particular film opening, you know who to call! ;)

The second highlight of week one was bumping into Bradley Cooper one morning. He was filming a movie outside our office and I had no idea it was him to start with, even though I was literally inches away from him. Then a crazy fan jumped in front of me, screaming his name, and THEN I realised who it was. Camera crew pulled us passers-by to one side whilst they filmed a chase scene. Epic.

After a busy first week of work and some pretty heavy post-work drinks, I was absolutely knackered. I needed a lazy weekend. On Sunday I ventured out to watch The Inbetweeners 2 and avoided the downpour in the local Frankie & Benny's:

Pancakes with bacon AND maple syrup were a first for me. In all honesty, I didn't think it would work. But do you know what? They weren't bad. A bit sweet for me personally, but definitely something I'd have again. And in typical Lucy style, no breakfast is complete without hash browns ;) Frankie & Benny's doesn't have any mention of hot chocolate on their menu but if you go and are partial to chocolate, ask for one! Topped with a generous dollop of cream and maltesers, you'll be in hot drink heaven!

Back tracking a bit... my ex-colleagues gave me a lovely send-off on my last Friday. The company gave me permission to leave work at lunch time and not come back (woo!) so we went to Meat Liquor for epic burgers and wine in jam jars:

I received an enormous bag of gifts from everyone and the silver glitter got EVERYWHERE. Stu left his bag next to mine under the table and wasn't impressed with his new glittery bag when it was home time!

I was really touched by the amount of people who came to the pub that night to see me off. We stayed until closing time and knew it was high time to leave when my (ex) boss split my recently bought drink all over the place...

I miss them all so much. I spent nearly three years there so it was a massive part of my life post-university. But now it's time for a new chapter. Please bear with me whilst I'm settling in at my new place. Blogging will return to normal soon enough I promise!