Oyster Mushrooms, Chat potatoes and Ricotta salad

(serves 4)

Recipe from Cafe Sopra (Fratelli Fresh Cooking Class)

A clear winner whenever we go to one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Sydney, i must say i have become a bit of a snob after being in Italy several times, and eating pasta for 6 weeks straight last time ~ the taste buds just naturally pick out what's good and what's not - can safely say 'si mangia bene qui' (one eats well here)! 

The free cooking classes are also totally worth going to if you are free on a Tues, Wed or Thurs at 4pm! Learn something new everytime !

Prep time: 10 min

Cooking time: 30 min

The original from Café Sopra

Ingredients

150 g mix salad leaves

200 g fresh ricotta, crumbled

600 g chat potatoes

1 Spanish onion

300 g oyster mushrooms
olive oil

Dressing

20 mL lemon juice

20 mL white wine

20 mL white wine vinegar

80 mL extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp salt

Method
1. Put salad leaves and ricotta outside in salad bowl to allow ricotta to warm and soften.

2. Heat a pot of water, add salt generously. Add potatoes and boil until just cooked (floating or test with a knife). Drain and set aside to cool.

3. Thinly slice Spanish onion and cook with some olive oil, salt and pepper until soft and remove from pan. 

4. Cut oyster mushrooms into slices of medium thickness, then sauté in olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

5. Cut cooled potatoes into small chunks (quarter if using small potatoes).

NB: It is important that the potatoes are cooled first, otherwise they don't tend to form a crispy skin on the outside when you saute them. 

6. Sauté potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper until crispy and brown on the outside.

7. Add oyster mushrooms and onions and sauté until well mixed. Add lemon vinaigrette until lightly covered and allow to absorb slightly.
8. Take off heat and pour into salad bowl with ricotta and salad leaves. Mix through with thongs until ricotta is well mixed.