Ingredients

The following ingredients have 2 Servings
  • 400 g Maris Piper potatoes peeled
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 60 g piece of thick smoked bacon
  • 6 scallops shelled and trimmed
  • 2 knobs of unsalted butter
  • 75 ml semi-skimmed milk
  • olive oil
  • a few sprigs of fresh sage
  • ½ a lemon

Instruction

  • Juicy pan-seared scallops and salty, crisp bacon – this recipe is the perfect surf and turf marriage.
  • Quarter the potatoes, halving any smaller ones, then place in a large pan and cover with cold salted water. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
  • Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, roughly chop the bacon into chunky lardons, roughly ½cm thick. Score the scallops in a criss-cross fashion about 1cm deep on one side, season with a pinch of salt, then set aside.
  • Drain and allow the potatoes to steam dry, then return to the empty pan with the milk, a knob of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash until smooth, then cover until needed.
  • Heat a splash of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then add the bacon and fry for around 2 minutes, or until golden. Move the bacon to one side of the pan, then pick the sage leaves into the space. Cook for 1 minute, or until crisp, then move to the side of the pan along with the bacon. Add the remaining butter and the scallops, cut-side down, to the empty space. Cook for around 2 minutes, or until golden, turning halfway.
  • Remove from the heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss to coat, allowing the scallops to cook in the hot pan for a further 30 seconds. Divide the creamy mash between plates, then spoon over the scallops, bacon, sage and any lovely juices from the pan, then tuck in.