Spiced beef pancakes with chopped egg, dill & crème fraîche

Whenever I think of pancakes or Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday), I rarely think of sweet combinations, unlike many people, and I must admit that I will always choose savoury over sweet dishes. These pancakes combine some of my favourite ingredients in every mouthful, and what is really lovely about them is how convivial they are, ideal for feasting and sharing where everyone can make their own combinations and enjoy them without you having to plate them up individually.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Pour boiling water from a kettle into a saucepan set over a medium-high heat. Once the water is bubbling, carefully lower in the eggs and boil for
   10 minutes. Drain the eggs and place them under cold running water to stop the cooking process, then leave them to cool in cold water until needed.
2. Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, drizzle in a little vegetable oil and add the minced beef. Immediately begin breaking the meat up as finely as you can to avoid clumps. Once the meat has cooked a little, stir in the garlic granules, spices and a generous amount of pepper. Continue cooking the meat until it is well browned, then season generously with salt, mix well and remove the pan from the heat.
3. To make the pancakes, preheat the oven to 160°C, Gas Mark 4. Line an ovenproof dish with greaseproof paper.
4. Put the flour, salt and egg into a large mixing bowl. Mix the milk and water together in a jug, then blend into the flour mixture a little at a time, whisking well to beat out any lumps. Mix in the melted butter, then transfer to a measuring jug. Place an 18 cm frying pan over a medium-high heat and drizzle in a tiny amount of vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, ladle in just enough of the batter to make a thin pancake and cook for about
   1 minute on each side, or until nicely browned. Transfer to the prepared dish, cover with foil and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the rest of the pancakes.
5. Shell the hard-boiled eggs and finely chop them, then place in a little bowl, along with the shallots, dill and crème fraîche in separate small bowls.
6. Briefly reheat the beef mixture over a high heat, and once hot, divide it between the pancakes. Top with the egg, shallots, dill and, finally, a good dollop of crème fraîche before serving.

Simply