PICKLED POTATOES WITH WHIPPED TURNIP, NASTURTIUM & CHILLI

SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES PLUS COOLING TIME / COOKING 45 MINUTES

Turnip, when treated harshly, can result in face-screwing bitterness, but if you treat it just right it’ll be sweet, nutty and earthy instead.

1kg baby potatoes

2 bay leaves

500ml apple cider vinegar

¼ cup sugar

150ml rice bran oil

1 medium-sized turnip, chopped roughly into even-sized pieces 2 tablespoons chilli flakes or 2 small fresh chillies

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

5 or 6 nasturtium flowers sea salt flakes

PICKLED POTATOES Put the potatoes in a pot with the bay leaves, vinegar, sugar, 1 litre cold water and 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a simmer but don’t let the boil go too nuts or the bubbles and movement will break up your taties – you want a steady controllable heat. The potatoes are best caught just at the point between raw and cooked, so intermittently snatch one out (tongs are good for this) and as soon as you notice a slight give when squeezed gently between your fingers, take them off the heat. Let them cool in the liquid and by the time they’re room temperature they’ll be just right.

WHIPPED TURNIP Heat 50ml oil in a pot, until it is pretty hot. Put the turnip in and let it sit without moving it for a few minutes to build up a good bit of golden caramelisation. Carefully turn the turnip around in the oil and repeat until all sides are nicely golden brown. Add enough warm water to cover generously, season with salt and pepper and turn the heat down. Let it boil until the turnip is collapsing (by this point most of the water will have boiled away) then transfer to a blender and whip into a light paste. Check seasoning again after blending.

CHILLI OIL Put the chilli flakes (or sliced chillies if using fresh) into a small pot with the remaining 100ml of oil. Warm the oil over a low heat, and once it’s warm, hold it at this heat for about 10 minutes. You don’t want boiling hot oil, just enough heat to get the flavours waking up and making friends. Remove from the heat and stir in the smoked paprika. Cool, then strain through a fine sieve or cloth.

TO SERVE Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise so they sit flat. Smooth on a layer of whipped turnip with the back of a spoon. Tear the nasturtiums apart and dip 2 petals at a time into the chilli oil. Drape the petals across each half potato and season with sea salt.