Zomersmeus (mashed potatoes with tomatoes & North Sea shrimps)

For ➋
handfull basil, chopped
125 g cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ lime, juiced
10 cl sour cream
250 g unpeeled North Sea shrimps @ room temperature
2 big potatoes, unpeeled* & washed
½ kg coarse salt
olive oil
pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.
Put the coarse salt in a thick layer on an oven plate.
Wash and dry the potatoes. Place the potatoes on the salt layer. Cook them cook in the oven for about 30-45 m.*
Meanwhile, peel the shrimps.
Remove the potatoes from the oven.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a (stew) pan over a low heat. Do not let the oil get too hot. Halve the baked potatoes and spoon out the mash.
Put the potatoes in the pan with oil and crush it with a fork. Make sure the potatoes do not bake. Season with pepper and add the sour cream, lime juice and possibly a small splash of water.
Stir the cherry tomatoes and the chopped basil leaves in the potatoes just before serving.
Divide the potatoes over the plates. Sprinkle the shrimps over the potatoes.

*Or just cook or steam  the (peeled) potatoes until soft with a bite in a traditional way.

**Or slice a coeur de boeuf tomato. Sprinkle with olive, salt & pepper.

This is a summery variation on a classic Flemish dish smeus.

Kerremelksmeus (buttermilk mashed potatoes with shrimps)

For ➊
2 large potatoes
2 tbs buttermilk
1 fresh egg
50 g cooked North Sea shrimps*
some butter

Cook a few large potatoes, mash them and mix in the buttermilk (about 1 tbs per potato, depending how moist you want the mash to be).
Meanwhile, poach the egg(s).
Heat shrimps in a little butter. Save the butter.
Put the mashed potatoes on a plate. Dig a little hole on top and drip in the shrimp butter, then slide in the poached egg. Shower with shrimps.
Serve with a sour beer like Belgian Rodenbach, or a dry white wine.
Alternatively, try North sea shrimps with mashed potatoes and white shallots sauce.

*These should be the small grey variety. Not sure if this works well with pink shrimps or prawns. You can replace the shrimps with shredded cooked or baked white fish filets or make a mix of both.

The Flemish name is kerremelksmeus in coastal region dialect, smeus meaning mash.
Try a summery variation with sour cream, basil and tomatoes.