A Traybake Tortilla - Recipe - Natural Nourishment

Serves

Prep in

20 minutes

Cooks in

30 minutes (+ 5 minutes cooling)

Potatoes are pretty cool.

Actually I should rephrase that – cold potatoes are pretty cool.

Intrigued? Well I hope so or the rest of this paragraph is going to be a tad disappointing!

So what on Earth am I talking about, and what has it got to do with these GORGEOUS layered lovelies? Well are you ready for the big reveal … I am in fact harping on about …

RESISTANT STARCH!

And mic. drop.

OK so not really, let’s dive in I promise to stop being silly now.

What is resistant starch? Well it is pretty much what it says on the tin – starch that resists being broken down, making your carbohydrates behave more like that all important (and fabulously undervalued!) fibre.

So fibre is fantastic, it acts as food for your probiotic bacteria, it sweeps through your digestive tract ensuring effective elimination of toxins, it makes us feel full and satisfied due to its voluminous nature, and all of these contribute to the maintenance of a healthy weight, optimal hormone, blood glucose and lipid balance, stable moods and very happy tummies.

So what’s the secret? Well resistant starch comes in a few forms and in this instance we’re talking about type 4 (RS 4) which is created when those carbohydrate rich fruit and veg (rich in RS 2 in their raw form) are cooked and then allowed to cool. If you were to consume them warm that RS 2 will have been broken down and you will digest them for energy as normal however the cooling process allows the RS 4 to develop, which in turn can almost halve the potential energy (calories) contained within those foods. So if you’re being mindful of those blood sugars I mentioned before this is a very clever trick as it allows for the inclusion of things you may otherwise be told to avoid – all you need to do is let them go completely cold before diving in!

So that’s my little random ramble for this morning, I hope you all found that to be as a fun fact filled as I did, and that you all thoroughly enjoy your cold carbohydrates from now on!

Key Facts

Makes 15 squares
High Protein, High Fibre
Prep Ahead
Super Speedy

Ingredients

6-7 medium potatoes (previously boiled and left to cool for 3 hours – 3 days, the longer you leave them the better)
4 large red onions
18 organic eggs
1 tbsp coconut oil
Salt & pepper
Optional: chopped fresh herbs, dried herbs, chilli flakes

Preparation

01

Preheat your oven to 190C, take a deep roasting tin or casserole dish and line it with a piece of baking parchment.

02

Finely slice your onions and add to a large sauté pan with the coconut oil. Heat on a low flame until the oil melts, stirring to coat the onion pieces. Cover with a lid and leave to cook gently for 15 minutes until beautifully soft – you aren’t looking for lots of colour here, it’s more about the slow caramelisation.

03

Crack the eggs into a large bowl or jug, whisking lightly to combine then leave to one side.

04

Slice your potatoes into thinnish slices, they don’t have to be exactly the same but as they are cold this should be quite easy to do. If using fresh herbs chop these too and leave to one side.

05

Begin by arranging a layer of potato in the base of your dish, add a layer of onions and season lightly. Continue doing this until you fill the dish halfway then pour in some of your eggs to make sure they reach the bottom, then continue with the remaining layers of potato and onions finishing with a layer of potatoes before pouring in the remaining eggs and adding a final seasoning layer.

06

Bake for 10-15 minutes until puffed and golden (you can also pop under the grill for a couple of minutes at the end to get a really crisp golden top).

07

Leave to cool for 5 minutes then lift out and chop into squares. You can serve it immediately or leave it to cool completely and then pop the individual squares back into a warm oven to heat through, or simply serve at room temperature. They will keep in the fridge for a week.