Set aside until you’re ready to use them. Discard the skins and chop the nuts coarsely. When ready, tip them out of the tray and on to a clean tea towel, and rub to remove the skins.
To test them, take the tray out of the oven and carefully rub the skins off a few of them – the nuts should be golden underneath. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast in the preheated oven for 6–8 minutes, checking regularly, as they can burn quickly. To prepare the hazelnuts and the bacon, preheat the oven to 200☌/180☌ fan/gas 6. If you want the soup to be a bit thinner, add a little more stock. Add the cream or milk and blend until smooth. Do not overcook, or the sprouts will lose their fresh colour and flavour. When the potatoes and onions have been cooking for 10 minutes, add the chicken stock and boil for 2–3 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.Īdd the sliced sprouts to the pan and cook over a high heat, with the lid off, until tender, approximately 2–3 minutes. Trim the base, remove and discard the outer two or three leaves, and slice the sprouts thinly. While the potatoes and onions are cooking, prepare the sprouts. Cover with a butter wrapper or a piece of parchment paper, then turn the heat down to low, cover with the saucepan lid and cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the vegetables sticking and burning. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir to mix. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.