TRUFFLED SMASHED POTATO CHIPS WITH CAULIFLOWER & TOMATO AIOLI
SERVES 8-10 / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES / COOKING 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
Small floury potatoes work best for these, small enough that you can cut them in half and use the skin as a base when you smash them. You can buy bags of baby baking potatoes in the supermarket – make sure you don’t buy waxy, boiling potatoes.
The cauliflower and tomato aioli is a great dip for other uses, too, such as crackers, crudités and platters. The potatoes are not designed to be served piping hot, just a little warm is best.
1kg baby baking potatoes olive oil spray olive oil to drizzle 1 teaspoon flaky salt 1-2 tablespoons truffle oil
FOR THE CAULIFLOWER & TOMATO AIOLI 2 tablespoons olive oil
20 sage leaves
1 small or ½ large cauliflower
3 cloves garlic, sliced
½ teaspoon salt
75g semi-dried tomatoes juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Heat the oven to 200℃ fan bake.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Put in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain in a sieve then leave to dry off for 5 minutes. Spray the bottom of a large roasting tray liberally with oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
One at a time, use a fork to smash the potato halves, trying to keep the potato together on its skin. Lay these into the roasting tray. Spray again with oil to coat, drizzle with a little extra oil and sprinkle liberally with salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven, drizzle with truffle oil and leave to cool. You can make these and store in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Before serving, heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve with the cauliflower and tomato aioli.
To make the aioli, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the sage leaves until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside on a paper towel.
Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and add to the frying pan on a low-medium low heat along with the garlic and salt. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and lightly caramelised – you want a hint of browning, but not fully browned. Leave to cool.
Put the cauliflower into a food processor with the semidried tomatoes, lemon juice, mustard and 2 tablespoons of water and slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil while the motor is running and process until you have a very smooth purée. Scrape into a bowl and top with the sage leaves.