Jerusalem artichoke fritters with foraged leaves, soured cream & horseradish salad

Quantity	Item
350g	Jerusalem artichokes
2	Shallots
2 tbsp	Pinhead oatmeal
60g	Plain flour
½ tsp	Salt
1	Red chilli, deseeded and coarsely chopped
2	Eggs
50g	Coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp	Light olive oil, for frying

Coarsely grate the Jerusalem artichokes and shallots into a large mixing bowl. Add the oatmeal, flour, ½ tsp salt, the chilli, eggs and coriander leaves. Mix to make a batter.

Half-fill a shallow frying pan with the olive oil and put it over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a drop of the batter. It should bubble immediately; if it spits, the oil is too hot.

When the oil is the right temperature, add a few tablespoonsful of batter at a time and fry slowly, turning occasionally until golden all over.

Cut a fritter in half to check it is fully cooked, otherwise the centre can be runny and will taste awful. Remove onto kitchen paper or greaseproof paper to drain. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

The fritters will sit in an oven at 130ºC/250ºF/Gas 1/2 for up to 15 minutes.

There is a huge variety of foraged leaves at this time of year. Cucumber, soured cream and horseradish make a lovely fresh contrast to the flavours of the wild leaves. This salad is incredibly tasty and different.

Quantity	Item
1	Small cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and deseeded
Handful	Small capers in salt, rinsed and drained
200g	Soured cream
15g	Fresh horseradish, peeled and finely grated
Small handful	Sweet cicely mixed with other foraged leaves (such as Jack by the Hedge, dandelion, etc.)
½	Unwaxed lemon (juice of)
Pinch	Salt

Cut the cucumber very thinly into crescent shapes. Add the capers, soured cream, horseradish, sweet cicely and foraged leaves, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and season with the salt and an extra squeeze of lemon if needed. Serve with the fritters.