NICOLA GALLOWAY

This week, two great ways to use mint.

Once you have mint in the garden it is there to stay. The mint in mine was here when we moved in, and if I was starting over it would be in a big pot on the patio rather than in the garden. It dies away over winter, but when the new shoots come forth in spring the battle begins to keep it contained within one area. If you also have mint you will understand my lament. Knowing it will be difficult to get rid of completely, the mint coexists with the berries, which also have a tendency to spread. This is the wildest part of the garden, tamed within paths so any shoots can be nipped in the bud. Fortunately it is a culinary mint, peppermint I suspect, that I enjoy using in cooking and drinks. So all those spring escapee shoots get put to good use in the kitchen.

Crispy roasted potatoes with capers & mint

This could also be called roasted potato salad as it uses many of the flavours that might be used in a cold salad. Potatoes love punchy flavours so don’t hold back.

Ever wondered why sometimes cold water is used to cook potatoes and other times boiling water? It comes down to the age of the potato, new potatoes, which I used, are lower in starch so are best started in boiling water. While older stored potatoes are higher in starch so starting in cold water ensures they are evenly cooked.

PREP TIME // // SERVES 4 as a side

20 minutes COOK TIME 40 minutes

About 800g small gourmet potatoes, or use larger potatoes cut into 4-5cm chunks

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped 2-3 sprigs of mint, leaves roughly chopped

2 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar 4 tbsp olive oil Cracked pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC (fan 200ºC).

2. First parboil the potatoes. Place them into a large saucepan, cover with boiling water (or cold water if using older potatoes) and add the salt. Be generous with salting the water to gently season the potatoes while they cook – the salty water is drained away.

3. Bring the potatoes to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until just tender. Drain well and leave to steam dry in the hot pan.

4. Prepare the dressing. Combine the prepared capers, mint, spring onion, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.

5. Tip the hot potatoes into a roasting tray. Use a small wooden bowl or plate to gently squash the potatoes so the skins burst. If the potatoes also burst apart that is just fine – the more exposed surface area the better.

6. Evenly spoon 2/3 of the caper and mint dressing over the potatoes. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until golden and crispy. Spoon over the remaining dressing and serve alongside any main and green salad. Can also be served warm to accompany a barbecue.