The most memorable potatoes I’ve ever tasted were at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland. Apart from being a superb example of a local new-season variety, these potatoes were simply boiled with heaps of aromatics before being tossed in butter and salt, but they had a hugely satisfying complexity. It wasn’t until this moment, after a lifetime as a cook, that I fully understood the true power of the humble potato, which is its ability to convey the flavours of other ingredients. It’s a modest quality, but one that gives us outstanding dishes.
Jerusalem artichoke, potato and shiitake gratin with ginger and lime
This gratin has a slightly Asian twist. There’s only a small amount of coconut milk, so feel free to substitute with double or whipping cream if you don’t mind it not being dairy-free. A lot of the flavour in a jerusalem artichoke is in its skin, so I don’t peel them for this dish. The gratin is grilled for six minutes, which may damage some pans even if they are officially ovenproof; if a pan has any non-metal element, such as bakelite, put the gratin in a completely oven-safe dish when assembling the vegetable layers.
Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4 as a side dish
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
3-4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced on an angle
2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
60ml olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced, ideally on a mandoline
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 lime, peel shaved off in 4 long strips, then juiced, to get 1 tbsp
Salt and black pepper
300g jerusalem artichokes, unpeeled and finely sliced, ideally on a mandoline
300g maris piper potatoes, unpeeled and finely sliced, ideally on a mandoline
250ml vegetable stock
2½ tbsp coconut milk
10g coriander leaves, left whole or roughly chopped
Drain the mushrooms (discard the water), then roughly chop and put in a medium-sized bowl. Mix a third of the spring onions with the ginger and set aside. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
Put a 28cm ovenproof saute pan for which you have a lid on a medium-high heat. Add three tablespoons of oil, the onions, garlic, lime peel, the remaining spring onions and half a teaspoon of salt, and fry, stirring frequently, for eight to 10 minutes, until soft and golden brown. If the onions start browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Transfer the onions to the mushroom bowl and stir to combine. You’ll assemble the gratin in the same pan, so don’t worry about cleaning it.
Put the jerusalem artichokes and potatoes in a bowl, season with half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then gently toss. Layer a third of the jerusalem artichoke and potato mix over the base of the pan, then top with a third of the onion mixture. Repeat with two more layers of each, finishing with the onions.
Pour over the stock and coconut milk, and cook on a medium-high heat, until the stock begins to simmer around the edges – about two to three minutes – then cover and cook for five minutes more. Take off the lid, then transfer the gratin to the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the oven to its grill setting, brush the top of the gratin with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and grill for five to six minutes, until crisp and golden brown on top.
Drizzle the lime juice over the top, then scatter over the coriander, the reserved spring onion and the ginger. Leave to rest for five minutes or so before serving.
Aromatic olive oil mash
Olive oil-based mashed potatoes are good with oily fish or steamed vegetables, for when you prefer keeping things lighter and less creamy. I’ve used thyme, mint, lemon and garlic to flavour the potatoes when they are boiled, but there’s no reason not to experiment with different herbs.
Prep 8 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4 as a side dish
1kg desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
5g thyme sprigs (about 6 sprigs)
10g mint sprigs (about 3 sprigs)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 lemon – peel finely shaved into 5 long strips
Salt and black pepper
100ml olive oil
For the topping
60ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
About 8 mint leaves, finely chopped (to get 2 tsp)
1 lemon – zest finely grated, then juiced to get 1 tbsp
Put the potatoes, thyme, mint, garlic, lemon peel and two teaspoons of salt in a large saucepan. Cover with enough cold water to come 2cm above the potatoes, bring to a boil and leave to simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are soft enough to mash.
While the potatoes are cooking, make the topping. Put the oil, garlic, thyme, mint, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and stir to combine.
Drain the cooked potatoes into a sieve set over a large bowl (you’ll need some of the cooking water later, so don’t throw it all away). Pick out the thyme and mint, then return the potatoes to the pan with the garlic and lemon peel. Using a masher, mash the potatoes; as you go, slowly add 100ml oil and 120ml of the aromatic cooking water, until you have a smooth mash.
Transfer the mash to a platter and use the back of a spoon to make little dips all over the surface. Drizzle the herb and garlic oil evenly over the top and finish with a good grind of black pepper.
Potato and buckwheat “bhajis”
You can make the batter for these vegan fritters in advance – a few hours or even a day ahead. Hold back on adding the salt and cornflour until just before frying. Makes 12 fritters.
Prep 8 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 6 as a snack or light starter
80g kasha (toasted buckwheat)
About 90ml olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
50g golden raisins or sultanas, roughly chopped
270g courgettes (about 2 medium-sized ones), coarsely grated
270g potato (1 large one), coarsely grated
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
1½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
1 tbsp medium curry powder
1 tsp nigella seeds
3 tbsp cornflour
Salt and black pepper
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges, to serve
Half-fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the kasha, cook for six minutes, then drain.
While the kasha is cooking, heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and raisins, and fry for eight minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown and soft. Tip into a large bowl, add the kasha, courgette, potato, spices, cornflour, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper, and stir to combine.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium flame. Use two dessertspoons to form golf ball-sized pieces of the kasha mix, each weighing about 75g, then put three or four in the hot oil and flatten out to about 1.5cm thick. Fry for five minutes, until the edges have browned, then carefully turn them over and fry for another five minutes, until dark golden brown on both sides. Don’t be tempted to flip them too early, because they might fall apart. Transfer the cooked patties to a plate lined with kitchen towel, sprinkle with salt and keep warm while you repeat the process with the remaining kasha mix, adding more oil as needed. This should make 12 bhajis.
Serve warm with a wedge of lemon alongside.
