Ingredients

• 1 large white onion
• finely chopped
• rapeseed oil
• for frying
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 spring onions
• sliced
• 400g/14oz dry
• cooked mashed potato
• ½ bunch fresh chives
• chopped
• handful fresh flatleaf parsley
• chopped
• fresh lovage (optional)
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 200g/7oz cooked salt beef
• cut into 2cm/1in pieces
• 250g/9oz fresh gooseberries
• stalks removed
• 1 large white onion
• finely chopped
• 150g/5½oz unrefined sugar
• 100g/3½oz dark brown sugar
• 200ml/7fl oz cider vinegar
• ½ tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 star anise
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove
• chopped
• rapeseed oil
• for deep frying
• 2 large pickled onions
• thinly sliced into rings
• 200ml/7fl oz milk
• 200g/7oz plain flour
• rapeseed oil
• for frying
• butter
• for frying
• 4 free-range eggs
• watercress
• for garnish (optional)

Directions

• For the salt beef
• place the onion in a frying pan with a little rapeseed oil
• a few leaves of picked thyme leaves and a little salt and pepper.
• Fry the onion until it is soft and translucent
• remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Place the mashed potato in a mixing bowl. Drain away any liquid from the onion and add the onion to the mash with the herbs
• spring onion and mustard.
• Add the salt beef to the mash and mix it all together. Season with some black pepper and a little salt if needed.
• Divide the mixture into four and shape into cakes using a large round cutter with a dusting of flour if needed. They should be big enough to sit a fried egg on top when served.
• Place the salt beef cakes on a tray and put in the fridge until required. They can be made well in advance.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/450F.
• To make the gooseberry ketchup
• place all the ingredients in a large saucepan
• bring to the boil and then simmer until the gooseberries break down to a shiny chutney consistency.
• Blend in a food processor and then pass the cooked gooseberries through a sieve. Cook in a clean pan to reduce down the volume of liquid a little more if required.
• Pour the ketchup into a squeezy bottle and refrigerate until cold.
• For the pickled onion rings
• heat the oil in a pan for deep-fat frying. Heat until a breadcrumb drop in sizzles and goes brown. (Caution: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
• Put the milk and flour into separate bowls. Dip the largest onion rings in milk
• then coat them in flour. Dust off the excess flour and repeat the process again.
• Deep-fry the pickled onion rings until golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt.
• To finish the salt beef hash cakes
• shallow fry the hash cakes in some rapeseed oil and a good knob of butter
• cook for about four minutes on each side until golden-brown. Finish in the hot oven for a few minutes.
• Fry the eggs in a little rapeseed oil and a knob of butter.
• To serve
• place the egg on top of each of the cakes in the centre of four plates
• garnish with blobs of the gooseberry ketchup
• the deep-fried pickled onion rings and a sprig of watercress.