NCR: Hot (Sauce!) Potato, Pear & Blue Stilton salad

This is the salad that I had worked out as my entry for No Croutons Required this month. Unfortunately life conspired against me, and between parental visits, a trip to Liverpool, and trying to prepare my apartment for sale I've had hardly any time to do the shopping/ preparation required to do many of my dishes! Anyone fancy coming to help me paint and garden the place into submission??

Anyway, I'm a day late for the submission, but here's my entry anyway - it's still worth a post! I had meant to make crispy pear croutons by drying out syruped pear cubes in the oven... but forgot to put them in the oven... So instead I fried them in a teeny dot of butter with a touch of sugar and a sprinkle of black pepper.

The 'Hot' in the title comes from the drizzle of the home made hot hot HOT scotch bonnet sauce I made yesterday - I was thinking along the lines of buffalo wings being served with blue cheese dressing! The salad should be served just warm or room temperature - not hot or the greens will wilt!

Hot (Sauce!) Potato, Pear & Blue Stilton salad

Serves 2!

• 1 pear, halved and sliced
• 100g blue stilton - I used Organic Stilton from Ley Cross Farm - a gorgeously smooth and creamy stilton... I still have a bit left - looking forward to it already!
• 1 chicory
• watercress
• Jersey royal potatoes - boiled and thickly sliced
• A few drops hot sauce to drizzle
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp english mustard
• salt

Prepare the potatoes...
Heat a glug of olive oil in a frying pan, add the potatoes and fry until crispy round the edges.

Prepare the dressing...
Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil mustard and salt to create an emulsion. Crumble in the Stilton and mix well.

Once the potatoes are crisped, transfer them to a bowl and pour over half of the dressing. Mix well - the heat from the potatoes should start to melt the cheese. Leave to cool for a bit - you don't want to add the potatoes when they are too hot.

Prepare the pears...
I would still have preferred the crispy pear croutons... bah... Oh well, will try to be less rubbish next time ;) Heat a tiny dab of butter in the frying pan and arrange the pear slices in the pan. Sprinkle with a little bit of sugar and a grind of black pepper. Cook for a minute or two on each side.

Assemble the salad!
Break up the chicory and half each of the larger leaves. Combine with the watercress and dress with the remaining dressing.

Arrange the potatoes and pears on top of the leaves. Drizzle with hot sauce to taste.

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