Potato cake, 2 ways.

There are potato cakes and then there’s Yotam Ottolenghi’s version that’s twice as nice. Go fresh with a pea and thyme filling, or fire it up with harissa and pepper, or try both – you know you want two!

SPRING ONION AND CHEESE POTATO CAKE, TWO WAYS SERVES 6-8

POTATO CAKE

1.4kg desiree potatoes, scrubbed 150ml extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbs 2 bunches of long green shallots,

trimmed, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 160ml thickened cream

3 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk, beaten 85g parmesan, finely grated

3 tbs finely chopped preserved lemon

or 1 tbs lemon zest

1 tsp ground turmeric

140g mature cheddar, grated

1 cup (200g) feta (preferably Greek),

crumbled

PEA AND THYME FILLING

200g frozen peas, thawed

1 tbs chopped thyme leaves, plus a few

extra sprigs to garnish

RED PEPPER AND HARISSA FILLING

250g jar roasted red peppers, drained,

patted dry, roughly chopped

20g roughly chopped coriander, plus

1 tbs to garnish

3 tbs harissa paste or 1 tsp dried

chilli flakes

For the potato cake, add the potatoes to a large saucepan with a lid and top with enough water to cover by about 4cm. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook potatoes until easily pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. Drain well. Once cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat half the olive oil in a 30cm x 8cm deep cast-iron or flameproof, ovenproof baking dish over medium heat. Add the long green shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly coloured, about 6 minutes. For the pea and thyme filling, add peas and thyme; for the red pepper and harissa filling, add peppers, coriander and harissa. Add 1/2 tsp salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 230°C. Add the cream, eggs and egg yolk, parmesan, preserved lemon, turmeric, half the cheddar and 1/2 tsp salt flakes to the potatoes. Using a potato masher break the mixture down to a rough mash. Add the feta and the long green shallot mixture, folding everything together.

Wipe the baking dish clean, add the remaining oil, then transfer to the oven for about 5 minutes to heat up. Remove from the oven and add potato mix. Level the top, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and extra thyme, if using. Return to the oven.

Reduce oven to 205°C and bake potato cake until golden and bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 15-20 minutes to firm up before serving. Sprinkle with extra coriander, if using, and serve warm.