Tag: potatoes

Spice bag chicken and chips

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The ultimate post-pub munch! A make-at-home take on the Irish chip shop classic. Minimal redeeming features nutritionally, maximum easy, finger-food deliciousness. Feeds 2

  • 200g oven chips
  • 300g battered chicken mini fillets
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • Spice mix – ½ tsp white pepper, ½ tsp flaky salt, ½ tsp dried chilli, ¼ tsp five spice powder, pinch of sugar
  • Mayonnaise
  1. Mix spices together in a little bowl
  2. Cook the chips and chicken in the oven or air fryer
  3. Meanwhile, stir fry the peppers and onion until soft and blackened around the edges. Add the garlic just before the end
  4. Take chicken and chips out of the oven and tip into a big bowl with the veg and spice mix
  5. Drizzle over mayo and tuck in

Potato and sweet potato dauphinoise

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Savoury, creamy, mellow and marvellously adaptable. Make the same recipe with swede, parsnip, celeriac or a combination of all of them. (But maybe not beetroot on account of it ending up looking a bit like a crime scene.)

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 150ml single cream
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g floury potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  • 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  3. Stir in the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 7 or 8 mins until soft and golden
  4. Pour in the cream and milk and bring gently to a simmer. Season well
  5. Tip the sliced potatoes into the pan and simmer for 5 mins then add the sweet potatoes
  6. Stir everything together then tip into a 1.5l baking dish
  7. Bake for 1 hour until the top is golden and the vegetables tender. Allow to stand for 5 mins before serving, just so it’s not quite as volcanically hot and it holds together a little better.

Potato wedges (again)

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Big fat chunky wonky chips. Dip into ketchup and mayo (yes both). Feeds 2

  • 3 big potatoes (or 4 medium/2 massive)
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 1½ tsp pul biber
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan (210C)
  2. Cut the potatoes into chunky wedges and collect in a big bowl
  3. Add the oil, chilli, garlic, salt and pepper and mix through with your hands until the wedges are evenly coated
  4. Tip onto a baking tray and into the oven for 30 mins
  5. Turn them gently and bake for a further 15 mins until completely soft inside and gently crunchy on the edges

The other potato wedges are here, compare and contrast!

Squished and roasted new potatoes

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All crunchy edges and soft insides. Serve with the protein of your choice. And pep up by drizzling over salsa verde, persillade or chilli oil and fresh coriander once cooked

  • 500g small new potatoes, cleaned and left whole
  • Salt
  • 4 tbsp veg oil
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Bring a half-full pan of salted water to the boil and tip in the potatoes
  3. Boil for 15 mins until nearly cooked through
  4. Drain and then squash each one lightly with a potato masher – not until completely flattened but moderately crushed without breaking into pieces
  5. Put a roasting tin with the oil in it into the oven for 5 mins
  6. When the oil is hot, pop the potatoes into the tray and flip them over gently in the oil
  7. Scatter over a pinch of salt
  8. Roast for 40-45 mins until golden and crisp

Roast potatoes

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Absolutely foolproof roasties, crispy on the outside and fluffy-soft on the inside. Make way more than you think you’ll eat because you’ll definitely want seconds. Feeds 4-6.

  • 1 kg floury potatoes (King Edward or similar)
  • 4-6 tbsp veg oil
  • Salt
  1. Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunky pieces
  2. Half fill a large pan with water and bring it to a rolling boil
  3. Add the potato pieces to the water and stick the lid on
  4. Over a high heat, bring the water back to the boil and then cook the potatoes uncovered for just 5 mins
  5. Drain and then put the pieces back into the pan
  6. Stick the lid on and, holding it firmly onto the pan with both hands, shake the pan sharply twice
  7. Lift the lid off and let the steam out. Observe your beautifully rough-edged pale gold parcooked potato pieces
  8. While the potatoes are cooking, pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  9. Once the oven is up to temperature, put the oil into the bottom of a large roasting tin and stick it in the oven for 7 mins or so to heat up
  10. Take the tin out of the oven and, while it’s still hot, tip the parcooked potato pieces in
  11. Season with salt and shake the pan gently to coat with oil
  12. Stick the tin back into the oven for 30 mins, then take it out to turn the potatoes over very gently
  13. Then back in for another 30 mins until they’re golden brown and crisp on the outside

Serve straight away. The perfect accompaniment to a roast chicken!

Potato and chard croquettes

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Small and tasty. Crunchy on the outside and fluffysoftcheesy on the inside.

  • 400g mashed potato
  • 50g parmesan, grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 150g chard stalks, roughly chopped (keep the leaves for something else, like spanakopita)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Grate of nutmeg
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 whole egg plus the extra egg white, beaten
  • 30ml milk
  • 50g plain flour
  • 200g breadcrumbs
  • Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  • Cook the chard in salted boiling water for 4 mins
  • Press the water out in a sieve or a clean tea towel
  • Mix together the mashed potato, egg yolk, nutmeg, parmesan, chard and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper (if the mashbisnt already seasoned) and make sure it’s all thoroughly combined
  • Create little cylinder shapes in the palm of your hand about an inch and a half long. They are easiest to coat if you chill the cylinders in the fridge for 30 mins to firm them up, while you get on with other stuff
  • Beat together the egg and milk
  • Put the flour and the egg mixture and the breadcrumbs into separate shallow bowls next to each other
  • Coat each croquette gentlt in flour (shaking off the excess), then in egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the egg and crumb layers so each one has a double coating
  • Place the croquettes onto a lined baking tray and bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown (or deep fry, which is probably nicer, but makes the whole house smell of hot oil and leaves you with quite a lot of oil to dispose of afterwards)

Eat straight away with lashings of sriracha and mayo. Or something a bit fancier probably.

Cottage pie

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We’ve discussed shepherd’s pie previously – and here is its delicious cousin. Deeply savoury and immensely cosy, this is proper nursery food. Feeds 4.

  • 750g beef mince
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 beef stock cube
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • 3 dashes worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 400ml boiling water
  • 1 sprig rosemary, needles stripped from the twig and finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 heaped tsp cornflour
  • 1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks
  • 50g butter
  • 50ml whole milk
  • 3 tbsp grated parmesan
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat oil in deep frying pan over a high heat and add the minced beef
  2. Cook the mince, stirring and breaking into small pieces, until well browned
  3. Remove the mince from the pan, turn the heat to low and add the 2 tbsp butter
  4. Add the onion, stir and cook for 5 mins until soft
  5. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for another couple of mins
  6. Add the tomato puree and crumbled stock cubes and stir together until it coats the onion
  7. Add the mustard, worcestershire sauce and boiling water, scraping all the delicious brown off the bottom of the pan
  8. Add the mince back to the pan, along with the herbs, salt and pepper
  9. Bring to a bubble, then cover and simmer for 30-45 mins, stirring occasionally
  10. While this cooks, make the mash and pre-heat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  11. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil
  12. Tip the potato pieces into the boiling water and cook for 15-20 mins until soft
  13. Drain the potatoes and put back into the pan with the butter, milk, a bit of salt and plenty of pepper
  14. Mash well until smooth and then stir through the grated parmesan
  15. When the mince is cooked, in a small cup mix together the cornflour with 1 tsp water and stir until smooth. Pour into the mince and stir together over a low heat until it goes clear and thickens into a rich gravy
  16. Taste everything for seasoning and then you’re ready to construct your cottage pie
  17. Empty the mince into the base of a large ceramic or glass baking dish. Top with big dollops of mash, gently joining the potato islands together until it covers the top of the pie from edge to edge
  18. Bake for 30 mins until golden and crisp on top

Serve with peas and a spoon and a comfy sofa

Dauphinoise potatoes

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Decadent treat food. Creamy, delicately textured and rich in flavour. Good enough to eat completely on their own and still feel delightedly fulfilled, but especially good with a medium-rare steak or a slice of garlicky roast lamb – and of course some steamed green beans or a pile of sauteed spinach. Feeds 4-6.

  • 1kg large, waxy potatoes, peeled
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 500ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • 1 clove garlic, finely grated
  • Salt and black pepper
  1. Pre-heat oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Take a wide, shallow ceramic baking dish around 2 litres capacity and grease the inside generously with half the butter
  3. Slice the potatoes 2mm thick (ideally with a mandolin)
  4. Place the potatoes in the dish in orderly, overlapping layers
  5. Whisk the cream, milk and garlic. Season well and pour gently over the potatoes
  6. The cream should just cover the potatoes. If it doesn’t, add a touch more milk. Dot with the rest of the butter and pop in the oven
  7. Bake for 1-1½ hours until the top is bubbling and golden brown, and the potatoes are completely soft when you poke a thin, sharp knife down into the dish
  8. Remove from the oven and leave on the side for 15 mins before serving, to allow the potatoes to lose some of their molten heat and firm up a bit

Cheese and potato cakes

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Ultimate comfort food, so delicious!

  • 2 large floury potato, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 50g cheddar, grated
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • Veg oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and tip in the potato pieces
  2. Cook for 20 mins or until soft, then drain and leave to cool and allow some steam to escape
  3. In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp veg oil in a little pan and cook the onion for 5-10 mins until soft
  4. Put the cooked potato and onion into a bowl with all the other ingredients and squish everything together until thoroughly mixed
  5. Heat a frying pan with a couple of tbsp of veg oil over a medium heat
  6. With your hands, form the mixture into 4 burger-sized potato cakes
  7. Fry without moving them until golden brown on the underside, then flip carefully and do the other side

Rarebit jacket potatoes

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Cheesy, potato-y gorgeousness. A comforting collision of Welsh rarebit and a jacket potato. Feeds 2.

  • 2 large baking potatoe
  • 25g butter, melted
  • 2 heaped tsp dijon mustard
  • 50ml dark ale
  • 3 good shakes worcestershire sauce
  • 100g strong cheddar, grated
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 spring onion, finely chopped
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Stick a skewer through the middle of each potato lengthways (helps it cook quicker and evener)
  3. Bake directly on the oven shelf for an hour, maybe up to an hour and a half – until the skin is brown and crisp, and the insides are soft and fluffy
  4. Turn up the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  5. Cut each potato in half lengthways (if it has a lengthway) and scoop out the flesh into a bowl, leaving 1 cm in the skins
  6. Mash the potato with the butter, mustard powder, ale, worcestershire sauce, egg and cheese, chives
  7. Put the skins like little potato boats, upturned on a baking tray, stuff bountiously with the mash and return to oven for 15 mins until golden brown

Serve with a crunchy salad or some steamed green beans