A while ago I was approached by a McCain representative offering me FREE samples of their new gourmet range, not one to say no to free food, I accepted.
We tried three varieties from their gourmet range, to be honest, although I accepted (free food!) I was pretty sceptical. I don’t usually buy these type of ready made potato products as I find them expensive and they usually have that fake potatoey taste with too much cheap flavourless sauce added to make it vaguely edible. Hmmm…. here is my honest opinion on each product!
Cheddar Mustard Gratin
This was tasty, potatoes layered with mustard and cheese sauce topped with cheese. The potatoes tasted ‘real’, and the mustard wasn’t too strong. We had it with ham, and for a quick meal I was very impressed. So far so good….
Potato Crumble with Four Cheeses
Layered potatoes with a four cheese sauce and crumbly top. Thick potato slices with a nice rich sauce. The sauce was a pleasant surprise, cheesey, thick, and not drowning the potatoes like the usual watery concoctions I have tasted. My only complaint would be it could have done with one more spoonful of sauce. The crumbly topping was a welcome departure from the melted cheese standard. All in all very good and a perfect quick tea served with ham or salad.
Diced Potatoes with Leek, Onion & Parmesan
This dish was afforded the least expectation (I expected it to be rubbish!), but it actually delivered the biggest surpise of all. Crispy little roast potatoes with bags of flavour mingled with roast red onion and leeks. The parmesan was present but more in the background I would say. Very tasty, and would be difficult to guess that it wasn’t homemade.
