Food & Drink
Potatoes are versatile, delicious and great value with different varieties for every kind of dish, writes Mary Contini of Valvona & Crolla
Mary Contini celebrates the humble spud, plus Rose Murray Brown on Spain’s Graciano grape
It must be my Irish genes, as my maternal grandfather was from County Donegal, but I am very fond of potatoes. They are versatile, packed with minerals and vitamins, low in fat and gluten-free.
Most importantly, they taste good and are cheap.
Today there are countless varieties to choose from. Familiar “fluffy” potatoes such as Maris Piper and King Edward are being nudged along the greengrocer shelves by varieties such as Yukon Gold and Shetland Black. There is even one called Arran Victory, a deep-purple-skinned creamy potato with white flesh named after the victorious end of the First World War.
Salad potatoes such as Charlotte, Anya and Pink Fir Apple, with their nutty earthy flavour are smaller, firmer textured potatoes and are best steamed with their skins on. Serve while still warm with dressings of extra virgin olive oil and finely chopped chives or Yester Farm Sour Cream, finely chopped chervil and a few torn leaves of tarragon. Jersey Royals are delicious in the early season but a bit pricey in my book. I picked up a greedy bagful at the start of their season and quietly put them back when they weighed in at over £14.
Smooth potatoes like Desiree or Lady Balfour, named after Lady Eve Balfour, a pioneer of the organic movement, are lovely for creamy, silky mash; flavoured with mustard, horseradish or even Parmigiano Reggiano.
There is even a variety called Vivaldi, which is perfect for Mediterranean cooking. It’s velvety textured and firm – ideal for roasting with olive oil, red onions and whole cloves of pungent garlic.
Choose potatoes from our own growers in East Lothian and Fife who supply local farm shops and greengrocers. They are just so much better than anything you can buy through a big supply chain. n Mary Contini is a director of Valvona & Crolla, 19, Elm Row, Edinburgh, www.valvonacrolla.co.uk Her latest book Dear Alfonso; a
feast of Love and Laughter, Birlinn, £17.99 hardback, is available now. @Valvonacrolla Hasselback potatoes This recipe, created in the Hasselbacken Hotel in Stockholm in the 1700s, is an ingenious accordionshaped baked potato which bakes in half the time. Just remember to eat the skins – my Irish grandfather always insisted the goodness was in the jacket.
Serves four 4 large baking potatoes 200-250g grated cheese; Mull Cheddar, Alpin Gruyere or Vacherin 4-6 slices grilled streaky bacon, chopped 2 tbsp breadcrumbs (optional) Alba truffles (optional) unsalted butter a sprinkling of paprika
1 Pre-heat the oven to 220C/gas Mark 8.
2 Scrub the potatoes well. Slice into the flesh to make 5-6 slits about 2cm apart taking care not to cut right through the potato.
3 Smear the insides of the cuts with butter and bake on a non-stick tray for 30-45 minutes.
4 Add the grated cheese and the grilled bacon into the slices and sprinkle the tops with breadcrumbs, extra cheese and a few blobs of butter. Roast for a further 10-15 minutes.
5 Finish the Hasselbacks with some paprika or, as an act of indulgence and bling, shave over some fresh white Alba truffles. Roast quail stuffed with potatoes, fennel and pancetta
This is a great all-in-one easy meal.
Serves four 4 fresh quail or poussin extra virgin olive oil 6-8 firm fleshed potatoes; Duke of York or Golden Wonder 1 clove garlic, squashed 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped half bulb fennel, finely chopped zest and juice of an unwaxed lemon a handful or rosemary, chopped a handful of thyme, chopped 1 tbsp taggiasche black olives (stoned) 4 slices smoked pancetta or smoked back bacon cup dry white wine sea salt and black pepper
1 Pre-heat the oven to 220C/gas Mark 8.
2 First, prepare the stuffing. Warm the olive oil in a shallow frying pan on the stove and gently sauté the garlic and onion. Once it’s softened, add the chopped fennel and cubed potatoes and sauté for about 15 minutes until cooked and caramelised.
3 Remove the garlic and add the grated rind and juice of the lemon. Mix in the olives and herbs and season well. Leave to cool.
4 Wash the birds well and pat dry. Rub inside and out with salt and plenty of freshly grated pepper and olive oil.
5 Fill the birds with the stuffing and close with some toothpicks. Lay any extra stuffing onto a non-stick roasting tray and put the birds on top.
6 Cover the breasts of each bird with a slice of pancetta or bacon, then pour over the white wine.
7 Roast for 20-25 minutes – they are cooked when they are crispy and browned and the juices run clear when you test the thickest part with a knife.
8 Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Warm the juices in the
roasting tin to make some gravy.
Apples baked with autumn nuts
Since we’ve got the oven on it’s worth popping some apples in to bake. It is a madness that there are apples falling off our trees all over the country; in gardens, parks and woods and lying rotting on the ground while we drive to the supermarket to buy a bag of apples in plastic bags.
Have a look around and collect them. If you don’t want to bake them take them to The Store at Dunbar, as they swap windfall apples for freshly pressed cider.
Serves four
4-6 large apples, washed and cored a few knobs of butter 6-8 cloves 2-3 tbsp each crushed hazelnuts and pistachios 2-3 tbsp of chopped soft dried figs and dates rind of an unwaxed lemon, grated and juice sea salt 1 Pre-heat oven to 180C/gas Mark 4. 2 To make the stuffing, mix the nuts, figs and dates, lemon juice and rind, and a pinch of sea salt.
3 Rub the apples with butter. Push a couple of cloves into the skin.
4 De-core the apples, then stuff them with the filling, adding an extra blob of butter on top.
5 Cover lightly with some foil to prevent the nuts singeing and bake for about an hour. Serve warm with whipped cream. Remember to eat the skin as that’s what’s packed with all the nutrients.