Potato Cakes With Crispy Bacon & Beans

Boil a kettle

Peel and chop the potatoes roughly into bite-sized pieces

Add the chopped potatoes to a pot of plenty of boiled water with a pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, cook for 12-15 min or until fork tender, then drain and return to the pot

Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the red onion[s]

Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

Chop the chives finely

Boil the kettle again

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with 2-3 tbsp olive oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the diced onion, chopped garlic, chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and a pinch of salt and cook for 3 min or until the onion has softened

Drain and rinse the cannellini beans

Add the chopped tomatoes, crumble in the Knorr chicken stock cube[s] and add 100ml [200ml] boiled water

Add 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] sugar and the cider vinegar and bring to the boil

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 min, then add the drained cannellini beans and keep on a low heat until ready to serve

Once cooked, drain and run the potatoes under cold water until cool enough to handle

Mash them until smooth

Add half of the chopped chives, 2-3 tbsp olive oil and season generously with both salt and pepper, then mix to combine

Add 5 tbsp [10 tbsp] flour and mix to combine into a dough

Place the dough onto a floured surface and bring it together into a ball with your hands

Divide the ball into 6 [12] pieces and roll each into a golf ball shape

Pat each ball down and sprinkle with a little flour – these are your potato cakes

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with 2-3 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add the potato cakes and cook for 4 min on both sides or until browned

Transfer to kitchen paper and season with both salt and pepper

Reserve the pan for the next step