Potato, Cheese and Spring Onion Souffle

Serves 2

Vegetarian

This recipe is from Delia's Happy Christmas.

It may be hard to believe, but this one is good for using up leftovers - any combination of bits of cheese that lurk unused in the dark corners of the fridge and leftover boiled potatoes (always a menace sitting in the fridge and not being used).

However, if you don't have any left over, boiling some specially will be well worth it. This will make a very fine supper dish for two vegetarians or for those who often give meat a skip. The potatoes give the souffle a lovely crusty top with a squidgy inside. A salad with a lemon dressing would be a good accompaniment and a dollop of chutney on the side wouldn't go amiss.

The Delia Online Cookery School: You can watch how to make this recipe in our video, just click the image to play.

Vegetarians may like to know you can buy a 'paremsan style' cheese from Bookham and Harrison Farms Ltd.

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Method

Begin by heating the butter in a small saucepan, then stir in the chopped spring onion and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Then remove from the heat and stir in the soured cream and yoghurt. Now beat the egg yolks into the sauce and add the potatoes. Lastly stir in all but 1 dessertspoon of each of the cheeses then season with a little salt and about ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and the nutmeg then transfer to a large bowl.

In a separate (grease-free) bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks (see video below) and stir one large spoonful into the cheese mixture to slacken it and make it easier to fold in the rest using a large kitchen spoon. Taste for seasoning before carefully folding in the remaining egg white.

Pour the whole lot into the soufflé dish with the help of a rubber spatula and sprinkle the top with the extra Cheddar and Parmesan and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. Place on the pre-heated baking tray and bake near the centre on the oven for 30 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Serve as soon as possible (it will shrink a bit on the way to the table but even when shrunken and cold it still tastes good!).