BOY FROM OZ
“IF YOU’RE FEELING FANCY AND OWN A MANDOLINE (THE WORLD’S MOST TERRIFYING KITCHEN INSTRUMENT) THEN USE IT HERE TO GIVE THE POTATOES A LOVELY LACY FEEL.”
I HAVE ALWAYS believed Australia serves the sort of food that brings people together – over coffee, over communal tables, over all-day menus – and makes us all feel good.
There’s no ‘set menu’ for Australia. We’re up for anything and open to change. We thrive on sushi one day, pasta the next, fish and chips by the sea, octopus marinated Greek style, yum cha on Sunday mornings.
Choosing the 100-odd recipes for this book has made me take time to think about those magical elements that clicked all those years ago, and how my own particular menu of ‘Australian food’ came about and evolved. I stand by what I said about this in 2002: the best restaurants in the world have a strong sense of place. They belong where they are.
Images and text from Australian Food by Bill Granger (Murdoch Books, $49.99). Photography by Mikkel Vang.
POTATO & FETA FRITTERS WITH SMOKED SALMON & DILL OIL
SERVES 4
500g desiree or other starchy potatoes1 small onion2 eggs2 tbs chopped mint3 tbs crumbled feta3 tbs plain flour1/3 cup (80ml) light-flavoured oil, to fry
