Whacked and drunken potatoes

Serves 4

Whack the potatoes, then drown them in wine and olive oil to penetrate as they cook – as kitchen preparations go, it’s pretty stress-busting. Easy to assemble, this is best served warm, never piping hot, so the flavours sing.

— 900g small waxy

potatoes, unpeeled

— 6 garlic cloves, skins on

— 100ml olive oil

— 120ml red wine

— 2 tsp cracked

coriander seeds

— 2 bay leaves

— small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 190C/ 170C fan/gas mark 5.

Using the bottom of a heavy pan (or a kitchen mallet or rolling pin), whack the potatoes until each has split or cracked a little. Whack the cloves of garlic, too, keeping the skins on.

Put the potatoes and garlic in a large roasting tray or oven dish and add the olive oil, red wine, coriander seeds and bay leaves, and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give the pan a good mix and finally add 100ml boiling water.

Roast, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and have a good colour. Shake the pan a few times during cooking.

Remove from the oven, add the parsley and serve. The roasted cloves of garlic are also good to eat.