ONE INGREDIENT FIVE WAYS

James Cochran on potatoes

“Chips, mash and roasties; these are our go-to dishes when we think of potatoes,” says chef James Cochran. The owner of restaurant 12:51 in London has had huge success with his “Around the Cluck” menu during lockdown, available to take away and, as of last week, to eat in.

Fried chicken burgers are the order of the day, served with wings, sides and lashings of his famous scotch bonnet jam. In lieu of chips, Cochran offers crispy new potatoes slathered in jerk butter.

“The classics are great comforts, but there’s so much more you can do with potatoes – they have wonderful earthy undertones,” he says.

Here are a few of James’s favourite ways to pep up his potatoes.

MARMITE POTATO GRATIN “Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ Gas 6. Slice two large potatoes and layer them in a casserole dish, spreading a little Marmite and some grated cheddar cheese between each layer.

“Pour over enough chicken stock to cover and bake for one hour, until bubbling. Serve a generous helping with a fresh green salad, or as a side to your Sunday roast.”

POTATO ROSTI, FRIED EGG

AND SRIRACHA

“Coarsely grate one baking potato. Mix this with a generous sprinkling of salt and leave for 10 minutes.

“Squeeze out as much water from the potato as you can, and mix with whatever herbs and spices you fancy – I like soy sauce and grated garlic.

“Heat a glug of olive oil and a knob of butter in a frying pan over a high heat and add the potato, pressing it down.

“Let it cook until the bottom is golden and crispy – about 10 minutes – before flipping over and cooking the other side. Top with a fried egg and a drizzle of sriracha sauce.”

POTATO CAKES WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CREAM CHEESE “Mash two cooked baking potatoes with 75g flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, two eggs beaten with 125ml milk and chopped chives. Shape into two potato cakes. Heat a teaspoon of sunflower oil and a knob of butter in a frying pan over medium heat, and fry the potato cakes until golden. Top with cream cheese and smoked salmon.”

TAMARIND “DESI” JACKETS

“Cook two baking potatoes on the middle shelf of an oven preheated to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6 for 90 minutes.

“Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl (reserving the skins), and add a healthy amount of butter and chives or parsley, before scooping back into the potato skins. Turn the oven off and transfer the potatoes to keep warm.

“Drain a can of chickpeas and warm in a saucepan with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper, a teaspoon of ground cumin, and fresh parsley or coriander.

“Mix a couple of tablespoons of Greek yogurt with two teaspoons of tamarind paste and one of mint sauce. Top the jackets with the chickpeas and tamarind yogurt.”

CHEESY HASSELBACKS

“Carefully slice three quarters of the way through a few baking potatoes at roughly 3mm intervals. Blanch in boiling water for about 10 minutes, drain and pop in the fridge until cool.

“Heat enough oil to deep fry until it reaches 140C, and deep fry each potato for six minutes. Drain and set aside. Once all have been fried, increase the temperature of the oil to 180C, and deep fry each potato again for a further eight minutes. Top with Montgomery cheddar and parmesan, and finish by whacking in the oven until golden and crispy.”

As told to Pip Sloan