It's good to have contrast on your plate.

One thing that distinguishes a good dish from a great dish, in my opinion, is when there are foods on the same plate that contrast each other in an enjoyable way (I'm not thinking of strawberries with a mustard sauce!!! ).

Tonight I was able to create such a dish. Polpettes with roasted tomatoes and garlic served with a spring green salad.

First I cut plum tomatoes in half and placed them snugly in a shallow baking dish before stuffing spaces with whole unpeeled garlic cloves and bay leaves. The tomatoes were then brushed with olive oil and seasoned generously with pepper before being placed in an oven at 450F (230C/gas mark 8) for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile I prepared the polpettes. Polpettes are "fried morsels of potato and greek feta cheese, flavoured with dill and lemon juice".

The potatoes are boiled with their skins on and only peeled once they have cooked through. Feta cheese, spring onion, dill, beaten egg and freshly squeezed lemon juice are added to the mashed potatoes and seasoned with freshly ground pepper. I chose not to season with any salt; feta cheese is already relatively salty. I did not miss the additional salt, the flavour with the fresh dill was magnificent!

The mashed mixture is allowed to chill until it is firm. Due to the fact that I spent a good deal of time talking to my Dad and sister Ellie on skype it was pretty late by the time I was cooking dinner. So at 7.30pm after only chilling for about 15 minutes I decided I couldn't hold off any more and proceeded to move on with the recipe. Ideally I think the mash could have stayed in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

The reason for chilling is that once it is firm it is scooped into walnut sized balls, doused with flour and gently flattened into a 'nugget' shape. These polpettes are then fried in olive oil and THIS is where you're going to want to make sure that they are firm, otherwise you might end up with a greasy mashed potato mess on your hands.

Patience is also the key to success here; I left the polpettes for about 4 minutes before turning them over. Turning them over too soon can also lead to a mashy mess and the potato takes quite a while to brown.

Once browned, place on and pat with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. The final product, which is best served straight away, is crispy yet not greasy on the outside while warm and creamy on the inside.

The tomatoes should come out of the oven sizzling and charred around the edges. Timing worked out perfectly for me, I allowed my tomatoes to cool covered for about 20 minutes before the polpettes were ready and this prevented any injuries occuring from hot gushes of water from the roma tomatoes!!! I have had hot tomato juice spray in my face when making bruschetta on more than one occasion and let me tell you, it aint a nice thing!

The spring green salad that was served as a side was an organic blend from walmart. I don't like salad dressings and so I always provide a bottle of balsamic vinegar instead, which Matt is more than happy with. The roasted garlic cloves were squeezed onto the tomato by each person on their own plate.

The contrasting tastes were achieved through the creaminess of the interior of the polpettes flavoured with the dill and the sharp tang that came with the roasted tomatoes. It was really pleasant and I still have a nice taste in my mouth, which I am savoring.

And don't forget... always kiss the cook!!!