Taleggio on chips

A while ago now, my amazing fiancée Jen won us a 3 night stay in luxury accommodation on Bryher – the smallest of the inhabited Isles of Scilly. Last weekend, we collected the prize.

Needless to say, we had an amazing time: rambling lazily around the islands, relaxing in the sun and eating really rather well. In fact the awesomeness of the food was matched only by its epic quantity (I put on 4 pounds over the weekend).

The view from our window

There were many highlights for me: chatting to the seals in the secluded bays, meeting the local goat, and sampling the black pudding in the gourmet full-English. What I thought I would share today though, is a pub snack that we had at the New Inn on Tresco - Taleggio topped chips.

I’ve talked about Taleggio a fair bit on the blog recently so this is the last post on that subject – promise!

Taleggio on chips - gooey, crunchy and thoroughly delicious. 

Actually, the cheese wasn’t the finest ever, it was a bit on the young side but that really didn’t matter. It had been applied perfectly, Taleggio is, to my mind, one of the finest cheeses for cooking, its washed rind which can have a sandy texture crisps up and the slightly bitter taste cuts the fattiness in a dangerously moreish manner. If you've never tried it, make sure that it goes on your next pizza.

In this case, the chips (hand cut of course) had been piled generously into the serving dish and were golden and fluffy. The cheese had been liberally applied on top and presumably grilled, turning it molten but gloriously stringy as you removed a chip.

The coup de grace? More cheese hidden under the chips! I was a happy man.

As we head into winter, this simple yet perfect dish will definitely be featuring on our menu...

St Mary's

Me and William the goat