Martin - My Kitchen

They can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge until needed. Duck eggs are a Saturday Kitchen favourite. Cook them just like hens eggs; however, theyre too rich to use in baking.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and cook for 2025 minutes, then drain and return to the pan. With the pan on a heatproof surface, mash the potatoes well, then transfer to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the spring onions and chives and divide the mixture into eight balls.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour, place a potato ball on it and shape into a round, flat cake about 1cm (in) thick and 5cm (2in) wide.

Repeat with the rest of the potato and place the finished cakes in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
Add the olive oil to a non-stick frying pan, dust the potato cakes with flour and fry over a medium heat for 34 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of the pan, you may have to cook them in batches.
While the potato cakes are cooking, melt the butter in another non-stick frying pan, set over a medium heat, and once it is hot and bubbling, crack the duck eggs into the pan and cook them until the edges are crispy but the centres remain soft.
Dress the watercress with the extra-virgin olive oil and the vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Place 12 potato cakes on each plate, top with a fried egg, drizzle with the leftover butter from the egg pan and serve with some watercress on the side.

Jerusalem artichokes make excellent soup; I also love them in pures, salads or simply sauted.
Peel the artichokes, shallot and potato and chop into 1cm (in) cubes. Set a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Tip in the vegetables and fry gently for 23 minutes, without browning.
Add the garlic and pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 810 minutes or until the artichokes and potato are cooked through and soft.
Meanwhile, heat the grill to high and grill the bacon on both sides until crispy, then set aside. Once cool, cut into pieces.
Add the cream to the soup, bring back up to the boil and cook for another 23 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then pour the soup into a blender and puree until smooth.

Alternatively, puree the soup using a held-held blender.
Return the soup to the pan, reheat gently and add salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle with small pieces of the bacon. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve with fresh crusty bread.